Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border

Home , Bogle, Border Reivers, Brownie (folklore), Kinmont Willie Armstrong, Scottish Marches, Siege of Berwick (1333)

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MINSTRELSY

OF THE SCOTTISH BORDER:

CONSISTING OF

HISTORICAL AND ROMANTIC BALLADS,

COLLECTED

IN THE SOUTHERN COUN^TIES OF SCOTLAND; WITH A FE> OF MODERN DATE, FOUNDED UPON LOCAL TRADITION.

IN THREE VOLUMES.

VOL. I.

FIFTH EDITION.

The songs, to savatre lirtiie dear.

That u'oti of yore the pulUc car. Ere Polity, sedate and sage. Had quench'd the fres offeudal fage. —Wauton.

EDINBURGH PRINTED FOR LONGMAN, HURST, REES, ORME, AND BROWN,

LONDON ; AND A. CONSTABLE AND CO. EDINBURGH.

1821. Frinicd by James Ballautyiic arid Co. Edinbutgh, CONTENTS

VOLUME FIRST.

PAGE.

Dedication, iii Intkoduction, V

PART FIRST.

HISTORICAL BALLADS.

Sir Patrick Spens, 3 Auld Maitland, 15 Battle of Otterbourne, 57 The Sang of the Outlaw Murray^ 81 Johnie Armstraiig, 107 Lord Ewrie, 133 The Lochmaben Harper, 138 Jamie Telfer of the Fair Dodhead, 146 The Raid of the Reidswire, 161 Kinmont Willie, 181

Dick o' the Cow, 212

Jock o' the Side, 229 VI COMTKXTS.

PAGE. The Death of Featherstonhaugh, 240 Hobbie Noble, 246 Rookhope Ryde, 260 Bartliram's Dirge, 273

Archie of Ca'field, 278 Armstrong's Goodnight, 287 The Fray of Suport, 288 Lord Jlaxwell's Goodnight, 298 The Lads of Wamphray, 314 MINSTRELSY

SCOTTISH BORDER.

Hrs GRACF. HENRY,

DUKE OF BUCCLEUCH, c^c. c^c. c^-r.

THESE TALES,

WHICH

IN ELDER TIMES ItAVE CELEBRATED THE PROWESS, AND

CHEERED THE ICALLS,

OF HIS GALLANT ANCESTORS,

ARE RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED

HIS grace's much obliged

AND

MOST HUMBLE SERVANT, WALTER SCOTT.

INTKODUCTION.

Jb ROM the remote period, when the Roman province was contracted by the ramparts of Severus, until the union of the kingdoms, the Borders of

Scotland formed the stage, upon which were presented the most memorable conflicts of two gallant nations. The inhabitants, at the commencement of this aera, formed the first wave of the torrent, which assaulted, and finally overwhelmed, the barriers of the Roman power in Britain. The subsequent events, in which they were engaged, tended little to diminish their military hardihood, or to reconcile them to a more civilized state of society. We have no occasion to trace the state of the Borders during the long and obscure period of

Scottish history, which preceded the accession of the Stuart family. To illustrate a i'ew ballads, the — —

VI INTRODUCTION.

earliest of which is hardly coeval Avith James V.,

such an enquiry would he equally difficult and vain.

If we may trust the Welch bards, in their account

of the wars betwixt the Saxons and Danes of Deira

570 and the Cumraig, imagination can hardly ibrm any

idea of conflicts more desperate, than were main-

tained, on the Borders, between the ancient British

and their Teutonic invaders. Thus, the Gododin

describes the waste and devastation of mutual ha-

voc, in colours so glowing, as strongly to recal the

words of Tacitus ; " Et uhi solitudmem Juciunty

pacem appellant.'"*'

At a later period, the Saxon families, who fled

from the exterminating sword of the Conqueror,

with many of the Normans themselves, whom dis-

content and intestine feuds had driven into exile.

* In the spirited translation of this poem, by Jones, the following verses are highly descriptive of the exhausted state of

the victor array :

At Madoc's tent the clarion sounds.

With rapid clangour hurried far : Each echoing dell the note resotinds

But when return the sons of war ! Thou, born of stern Necessity,

Dull Peace ! the desert yields to thee, And owns thy melancholy sway. INTRODUCTION. Vll began to rise into eminence upon the Scottish Bor- ders. They brought with them arts, both of peace and of war, unknown in Scotland ; and, among their descendants, we soon number the most powerful Border chiefs. Such, during the reign of the last Alexander, were Patrick, Earl of March, and 1249

Lord Soulis, renowned in tradition ; and such were also the powerful Comyns, who early acquired the

principal sway upon the Scottish marches. In the

civil wars betwixt Bruce and Baliol, all those power- 1300

ful chieftains espoused the unsuccessful party. They

were forfeited and exiled ; and upon their ruins was

founded the formidable house of Douglas. The Bor-

ders, from sea to sea, were now at the devotion of a

succession of mighty chiefs, whose exorbitant power

threatened to place a new dynasty upon the Scot-

tish throne. It is not my intention to trace the dazz-

ling career of this race of heroes, whose exploits

were alike formidable to the English and to their

own sovereign.

The sun of Douglas set in blood. The mu

ders of the sixth Earl, and his brother, in the cas-

tle of Edinburgh, were followed by that of their

successor, poniarded at Stirling by the hand of Vm INTRODUCTION.

his prince. His brother, Earl James, appeai-s nei-

ther to have possessed the abilities nor the ambition

of his ancestors. He drew, indeed, against his prince,

the formidable sword of Douglas, but with a timid

and hesitating hand. Procrastination ruined his

cause ; and he was deserted, at Abercorn, by the knight of Cadyow, chief of the Hamiltons, and by

his most active adherents, after they had ineffectual-

ly exhorted him to commit his fate to the issue of a

1453 battle. The Border chiefs, who longed for indepen-

dence, shewed little inclination to follow the decli-

1455 ning fortunes of Douglas. On the contrary, the most

powerful clans engaged and defeated him, at Ark-

inholme, in Annandale, when, after a short resi-

dence in England, he again endeavoured to gain a

footing in his native country.* The spoils of Dou-

glas were libei'ally distributed among his conquer-

ors, and royal grants of his forfeited domains effec-

tually interested them in excluding his return. An

1457 attempt on the East Borders by " the Percy and the

" DouglaSi both together^ was equally unsuccess-

* At the battle of Arkinholme, the Earl of Angus, a near

kinsman of Douglas, commanded the royal forces ; and the — —

INTRODUCTION. IX

ful. The Earl, grown old in exile, longed once

more to see his native country, and vowed, that,

upon Saint Magdalen's day, he would deposit his l*8S

offering on the high altar at Lochmaben. Accom-

panied by the banished Earl of Albany, with his

usual fortune, he entered Scotland. The Border-

ers assembled to oppose him, and he suffered a

final defeat at Burnswark, in Dumfries-shire. The

aged Earl was taken in the fight, by a son of Kirk-

patrick of Closeburn, one of his own vassals, A

grant of lands had been oflered for his person :

" Carry me to the King !" said Douglas to Kirkpa- " trick : thou art well entitled to profit by my mis-

fortune ; for thou v/ast true to me while I was true

difterence of their complexion occasioned the saying, " that the Black Douglas had put dov.-n the Red." The Maxwells, the Johnstones, and the Scotts, composed his army. Archi- bald, Earl of JMurray, brother to Douglas, was slain in the

action ; and Hugh, Earl of Ormond, his second brother, was taken and executed. His captors. Lord Carlisle, and the Baron of Johnstone, were rewarded with a grant of the lands

of Pittinane, upon Clyde. Godscroft, vol. I. p. 375. Bal- four s MS. in the Advocates' Library, Edinburgh.—Abercrom~ bie's Achievements, vol. II. p. 361.. Jblio Edition.—The other chiefs were also distinguished by royal favour. By a charter, upon record, dated 25th February, 15i8, the king grants to Walter Scott of Kirkurd, ancestor of the house of Buccleuch, the lands of Abingtown, Pharchulm, and Glcntonan craig, in — ;

X INTRODUCTION.

to myself." The young man wept bitterly, and

offered to fly with the Earl into England. But

Douglas, weary of exile, refused his proffered li-

berty, and only requested, that Kirkpatrick would not deliver him to the king, till he had secured his own reward. * Kirkpatrick did more : he stipu-

Lanarlcshire, " Pro suojideli servitio nobis impenso et pro quod " interfuit in conflictu de Arkinholme in occisione et capHone " nostrorum reheUium quondam Archibaldi et Hugonis de Dou- " glas olim comitum Moravia; et de Ormond et aliorum rebel-

" Hum nosti-orum in eorum comitivia existen : ibidem capioru?n " et inierfeciorum." Similar grants of land were made to Fin- nart and Arran, the two branches of the house of Hamilton to the chiefs of the Battisons ; but above all, to the Earl of Angus, who obtained from royal favour a donation ofthe Lord- ship of Douglas, and many other lands, now held by Lord Douglas, as his representative. There appears, however, to be some doubt, whether, in this division, the Earl of Angus received more than his natural right. Our historians, indeed, say, that WiUiara I. Earl of Douglas, had three sons ; 1. James, the 2d Earl, who died in the field of Otterbvirn ; 2. Archibald

the Grim, 3d Earl ; and 3. George, in right of his mother. Earl of Angus. Wliether, however, this Archibald was actu-

ally the son of William seems very doubtful ; and Sir David Dalrymple has strenuously maintained the contrary. Now, if Archibald the Grim intruded into the earldom of Douglas,

without being a son of that family, it follows that the house of Angus, being kept out of their just rights for more than a century, were only restored to them after the battle of Arkin- holme. Perhaps this may help to account for the eager interest taken by the Earl of Angus against his kinsman. Re- marks on History of Scotland, Edinburgh, 1773, p. 121. * A grant of the king, dated 2d October, 1484, bestowed INTRODUCTION. xi

lated for the personal safety of his old master. His

generous intercession prevailed ; and the last of the

Douglasses was permitted to die, in monastic seclu- sion, in the Abbey of Lindores.

After the fall of the house of Douglas, no one chieftain appears to have enjoyed the same exten-

sive supremacy over the Scottish Borders. The various barons, who had partaken of the spoil, combined in resisting a succession of uncontrouled domination. The Earl of Angus alone seems to have taken rapid steps in the same course of ambition, which had been pursued by his kinsmen and rivals, the Earls of Douglas. Archibald, sixth Earl of

Angus, called Bell-the-Cat^ was, at once, warden of the East and Middle Marches, Lord of Liddisdale, and Jedwood forest, and possessed of the strong cas-

tles of Douglas, Hermitage, and Tantallon. Highly

esteemed by the ancient nobility, a faction which he

headed shook the throne of the feeble James III.,

whose person they restrained, and whose minions

upon Kirkpatrick, for this acceptable service, the lands of Kirkmichacl. Xll INTRODrCTION.

they led to an ignominious death. The King failed

not to shew his sense of these insults, though un-

able effectually to avenge them. This hastened his

fate : and the field of Bannoekburn, once the scene

of a more glorious conflict, beheld the combined

chieftains of the Border counties arrayed against

their sovereign, under the banners of his own son.

The King was supported by almost all the barons

of the north ; but the tumultuous ranks of the

Highlanders were ill able to endure the steady and

rapid charge of the men of Annandale and Liddis-

dale, who bare spears two ells longer than were

used by the rest of their countrymen. The yells

with which they accompanied their onset, caused

the heart of James to quail within him. He de-

fled Stirling 1468 serted his host, and towards ; but, faUing from his horse, he was murdered by the pur-

suers.

James IV., a monarch of a vigorous and ener-

getic character, was well aware of the danger which

his ancestors had experienced from the preponde-

rance of one overgrown family. He is supposed to

have smiled internally, when the Border and High-

land champions bled and died in the savage sports — —

INTRODUCTION. XUI of chivalry, by which his nuptials were solemnized,

Upon the waxing power of Angus he kept a wary

eye ; and, embracing the occasion of a casual slaughter, he compelled that Earl and his son to exchange the lordship of Liddisdale, and the castle of Her- mitage, for the castle and lordship of Bothwell.*

* Spens of Kilspindie, a renowned cavalier, had been present in court, when the Earl of Angus was highly praised for strength and valour. " It may be," answered Spens, " if all " be good that is upcome;" insinuating, that the courage of the Earl might not answer the promise of his person. Shortly after, Angus, while hawking near Borthwick, with a single attendant, met Kilspindie. " What reason had ye," said the

Earl, " for making question of my manhood ? thou art a tall

" fellow, and so am I ; and by St Bride of Douglas, one of us !" " shall pay for it —" Since it may be no better," answered Kilspindie, " I will defend myself against the best Earl in Scot-

" land." With these words they encountered fiercely, till An- gus, with one blow, severed the thigh of his antagonist, who died upon the spot. The Earl then addressed the attendant of " Kilspindie : Go thy way : tell my gossip, the King, that

" here was nothing but fair play. I know my gossip will be of- " fended j but I wiU get me into Liddisdale, and remain in my " castle of the Hermitage till his anger be abated." Godscroft, vol. ii. p. 59. The price of the Earl's pardon seems to have been the exchange mentioned in the text. BothweU is now the residence of Lord Douglas. The sword with which Ar- chibald, Bell-the-cat, slew Spens, was, by his descendant, the famous Earl of Morton, presented to Lord Lindsay of the Byres, when about to engage in single combat with Bothwell, at Carberry-hill. Godscroft, vol. ii. p. 175. XIV IXTRODUCTIOX.

By this policy, he prevented the house of Angus,

mighty as it was, from rising to the height, whence

the elder branch of their family had been hurled.

Nor did James fail in affording his subjects on

the Marches marks of his royal justice and protec-

1510 tion. The clan of Turnbull having been guilty of

unbounded excesses, the King came suddenly to

Jedburgh, by a night march, and executed the

most rigid justice upon the astonished offenders.

Their submission was made with singular solemni-

ty. Two hundred of the tribe met the King, at

the water of Rule, holding in their hands the na-

ked swords with which they had perpetrated their

crimes, and having each around his neck the hal-

ter which he had well merited. A few were capi-

tally punished, many imprisoned, and the rest dis-

missed, after they had given hostages for their fu-

ture peaceable demeanonv.—HolinsJied's ChronicU.

Lesly.

The hopes of Scotland, excited by the prudent

and spirited conduct of James, were doomed to a

sudden and fatal reverse. Why should we recapi-

tulate the painful tale, of the defeat and death of a

high-spirited prince.? Prudence, policy, the pro-

digies of superstition, and the advice of his most INTRODUCTION. XV experienced counsellors, were alike unable to sub- due in James the blazing zeal of romantic chivalry. The monarch, and the flower of his nobles, precipitately rushed to the fatal field of Flodden, 1.513 whence they were never to return. The minority of James V. presents a melancholy scene. Scotland, through all its extent, felt the truth of the adage, " that the country is hap-

" less, whose prince is a child." But the Border counties, exposed from their situation to the incursions of the English, deprived of many of their most gallant chiefs, and harassed by the intestine struggles of the survivors, were reduced to a wil- derness, inhabited only by the beasts of the field, and by a few more brutal warriors. Lord Home, the chamberlain and favourite of James IV., leagued with the Earl of Angus, who married the widow of his sovereign, held, for a time, the chief sway upon the East Border. Albany, the regent of the kingdom, bred in the French court, and more accustomed to wield the pen than the sword, fee- bly endeavoured to conti'oul a lawless nobility, to whom his manners appeared strange, and his person despicable. It was in vain that he inveigled 1516 XVI IXTRODUCTION.

the Lord Home to Edinburgh, where he was tried

and executed. This example of justice, or seve-

rity, only irritated the kinsmen and followers of

the deceased baron : for though, in other respects,

not more sanguinary than the rest of a barbarous

nation, the Borderers never dismissed from their

memory a deadly feud, till blood for blood had

been exacted to the uttermost drachm.* Of this,

the fate of Anthony d"'Arcey, Seigneur de la Bastie,

affords a melancholy example. This gallant French

cavalier was appointed warden of the East Marches

by Albany, at his first disgraceful retreat to France.

Though De la Bastie was an able statesman, and

a true son of chivalry, the choice of the regent

was nevertheless unhappy. The new warden was

1.517 a foreigner, placed in the office of Lord Home, as

the delegate of the very man who had brought

that baron to the scaffold. A stratagem, contrived

* The statute 1594, cap. 231, ascribes the disorders on the Border in a great measure to the " counselles, directions, re- " ceipt, and partaking, of chieftains principalksof the branches, " and househaldersof thesaides surnaines,and c]annes,quhilkis " bears quarrel, and seeks revenge for the least hurting or " slauchter of ony ane of their unhappy race, although it were " ordour of justice, or in rescuing and following of trew mens " geares stoUen or reft." —

INTRODUCTION. XVll by Home of Wedderburn, who burned to avenge the death of his chief, drew De la Bastie towards

Langton in the Merse. Here he found himself surrounded by his enemies. In attempting, by the speed of his horse, to gain the castle of Dunbar, the warden plunged into a morass, where he was overtaken, and cruelly butchered. Wedderburn

himself cut off his head ; and, in savage triumph, knitted it to his saddle-bow by the long flowing hair, which had been admired by the dames of France.

Pitscottie, Edit. 1728, p. 130. Pinkerton's History of Scotland, vol. II. p. 169-* The Earl of Arran, head of the house of Hamil- ton, was appointed to succeed De la Bastie in his perilous office. But the Douglasses, the Homes, and the Kerrs, proved too strong for him upon the Bor- der. He was routed by these clans, at Kelso, and 1520 afterwards in a sharp skirmish, fought betwixt his

* This tragedy, or, perhaps, the preceding execution of Lord Home, must have been the subject of a song, the first two lines of which are preserved in the Complaynt of Scot- land ; God seu' the Due hed byddin in France, And de la Bate had never come hame. P. 100, Edin. 1801. XVm TNTRODUCTIOX.

faction and that of Angus, in the High-street of

the metropoUs.*

The return of the regent was followed by the

banishment of Angus, and by a desultory warfare

• The particulars of this encounter are interesting. The Hamiltons were the most numerous party, drawn chiefly from the western counties. Their leaders met in the palace of Archbishop Beaton, and resolved to apprehend Angus, who was come to the city to attend the convention of estates. Ga- win Douglas, Bishop of Dunkeld, a near relation of Angus, in vain endeavoured to meiliate betwixt the factions. He ap- pealed to Beaton, and invoked his assistance to prevent bloodshed. " On my conscience," answered the archbishop, " I

cannot help what is to happen." As he laid his hand upon his breast, at this solemn declaration, the hauberk, concealed !" by his rocket, was heard to clatter : " Ah ! my lord retorted Douglas, " your conscience sounds hollow." He then ex- postulated with the secular leader, and Sir Patrick Hamilton,

brother to Arran, was convinced by his remonstrances ; but Sir James, the natural son of the earl, upbraided his uncle with reluctance to fight. " False bastard !" answered Sir Pa-

trick, " I will fight to-day where thou darest not be seen." With these words they rushed tumultuously towards the High- street, where Angus, with the Prior of Coldinghame, and the redoubted Wedderburn, waited their assault, at the head of 400 spearmen, the flower of the East Marches, who, having broke down the gate of the Xetherbow, had arrived just in time to the Earl's assistance. The advantage of the ground, and the disorder of the Hamiltons, soon gave the day to An- gus. Sir Patrick Hamilton, and the Master of jMontgomery, were slain. Arran, and Sir James Hamilton, escaped with

difficulty ; and with no less difl^culty was the military prelate of Glasgow rescued from the ferocious Borderers, by the ge- — — —;

INTRODUCTION. XIX

with England, carried on with mutual incursions.

Two gallant armies, levied by Albany, were dismissed without any exploit worthy notice, while Sur- rey, at the head of ten thousand cavalry, burned

Jedburgh, and laid waste all Tiviotdale. This general pays a splendid tribute to the gallantry of the

Border chiefs. He terms them, " the boldest men,

" and the hottest, that ever I saw any nation." *

Disgraced and detested, Albany bade adieu to

Scotland for ever. The queen-mother and the Earl of Arran for some time swayed the kingdom. But their power was despised on the Borders, where

Angus, though banished, had many friends. Scot of Buccleuch even appropriated to himself domains belonging to the Queen, worth 400 merks yearly being probably the castle of Newark, and her jointure lands in Ettrick Forest.-f-—This chief, with

nerous interposition of Gawin Douglas. The skirmish was long remembered in Edinburgh, by the name of " Cleanse the Causeway." Pinkerton's History, vol. II. p. 181. PjTScoTTiE, Edit. 1728, p. 120. Life of Gawain Douglas, prefixed to his Virgil. * A curious letter from Surrey to the king is printed in the

Appendix, No. I. t In a letter to the Duke of Norfolk, October 152i, Queen Margaret says, " Sen that the Lard of Sessford and the liard — —

XX INTRODUCTION.

Kerr of Cessford, was committed to ward, from

1525 which the}-^ escaped, to join the party of the exiled

Angus. Leagued with these, and other Border

chiefs, Angus effected his return to Scotland, where

he shortly after acquired possession of the supreme

power, and of the person of the youthful King.

*' The ancient power of the Douglasses," says the

accurate historian, whom I have so often referred

to, " seemed to have revived ; and, after a slumber

*' of near a century, again to threaten destruction

" to the Scottish monarchy."" Pinkehton, vol. II.

p. 277.

In fact, the time now returned, when no one durst

strive with a Douglas, or with his follower. For,

although Angus used the outward pageant of con-

ducting the King around the country, for punishing

thieves and traitors, " yet," says Pitscottie, " none

" were found greater than were in his own com-

" pany." The high spirit of the young King was

" of Baclw vas put in the castell of Edinbrouh, the Erl of Len-

" ness hath past hyz vay vythout lycyens, and in despyt ; and " thynkyth to make the brek that he may, and to solyst other

" lordis to tak hyz part ; for the said laird of Bavklw vas hyz " man, and dyd the gretyst ewelyz that myght be dwn, and

" twk part playnly vyth theffyz as is well known." Cot.

MSS. Califf. B. I. INTROnUCTION. XXI galled by the ignominious restraint under which he found himself; and, in a progress to the Border, for repressing the Armstrongs, he probably gave such signs of dissatisfaction, as excited the Laird of

Buccleuch to attempt his rescue.

This powerful baron was the chief of a hardy clan, 1526 inhabiting Ettrick Forest, Eskdale, Ewsdale, the higher part of Tiviotdale, and a portion of Liddes- dale. In this w^arlike district he easily levied a thousand horse, comprehending a large body of

Elliots, Armstrongs, and other broken clans, over whom the Laird of Buccleuch exercised an extensive authority ; being termed, by Lord Dacre, " chief

" maintainer of all misguided men on the Borders

« of Scotland."—Z^^^gr to Wolsey, July 18, 1528.

The Earl of Angus, with his reluctant ward, had

slept at Melrose ; and the clans of Home and Kerr, under the Lord Home, and the Barons of Cessford and Fairnihirst, had taken their leave of the King, when, in the grey of the morning, Buccleuch and his band of cavalry were discovered hanging, like a thunder-cloud, upon the neighbouring hill of Hali- den.* A herald was sent to demand his purpose,

* Near Darnick. By a corruption from Skirmish field, the ;

XXll INTRODUCTION. and to charge him to retire. To the first point he answered, that he came to shew his clan to the

King, according to the custom of the Borders ; to

the second, that he knew the King's mind better than Angus.—When this haughty answer was re-

ported to the Earl, " Sir," said he to the King, " yon-

" der is Buccleuch, with the thieves of Annandale

" and Liddesdale, to bar your grace's passage. I

' vow to God they shall either fight or flee. Your

grace shall tarry on this hillock with my brother

' George ; and I will either clear your road of yon-

" der banditti, or die in the attempt." The Earl,

with these words, alighted, and hastened to the

charge ; while the Earl of Lennox (at whose insti-

gation Buccleuch made the attempt,) remained with

the King, an inactive spectator. Buccleuch and his

followers likewise dismounted, and received the as-

sailants with a dreadful shout, and a shower of

lances. The encounter was fierce and obstinate

but the Homes and Kerrs, returning at the noise of

spot is still called the Skinnersfield. Two lines of an old ballad on the subject are still preserved :

" There were sick belts and blows, " The Mattous burn ran blood." — ;

INTRODUCTION. XXlll battle, bore down and dispersed the left wing of

Buccleuch's little army. The hired banditti fled on

all sides ; but the chief himself, surrounded by his clan, fought desperately in the retreat. The Laird of Cessford, chief of the Roxburgh Kerrs, pui'sued

the chase fiercely ; till, at the bottom of a steep path, Elliot of Stobs, a follower of Buccleuch, turned, and slew him with a stroke of his lance. When

Cessford fell, the pursuit ceased. But his death, with those of Buccleuch"'s friends, who fell in the action, to the number of eighty, occasioned a deadly feud betwixt the names of Scott and Kerr, which cost much blood upon the Marches.* — See Pitscot- tie, Lesly^ and Godscrqft.

Stratagem at length efi*ected what force had been 1528

unable to accomplish ; and the King, emancipated from the iron tutelage of Angus, made the first use of his authority, by banishing from the kingdom his

* Buccleuch contrived to escape forfeiture, a doom pronounced against those nobles, who assisted the Earl ofLennox, in a subsequent attempt to deliver the King, by force of arms.

'' The laird of Bukcleugh has a respecte, and is not forfeited " and wiU get his pece, and was in Lethquo, both Sondaye,

" Jlondaye, and Tewisday last, which is grete displeasure to " the Carres." Lctier from Sir C Dacre io Lord Dacre, 2d December, 1526. —

XXIV INTllODFCTIOX.

late lieutenant, and the whole race of Douglas. This

command was not enforced without difficulty ; for

the power of Angus was strongly rooted in the East

Border, where he possessed the castle of Tantallon,

and the hearts of the Homes and Kerrs. The for-

mer, whose strength was proverbial,* defied a royal

army ; and the latter, at the Pass of Pease^ baffled

the Earl of Argyle"'s attempts to enter the Merse,

as lieutenant of his sovereign. On this occasion, the Borderers regarded with wonder and contempt

the barbarous array and rude equipage of their northern countrymen. Godscroft has preserved the

beginning of a scoffing rhyme, made upon this oc-

casion :

The Earl of Argyle is bound to ride

From the border of Edgebucklin brae ; t And all his habergeons him beside. Each man upon a sonk of strae.

They made their vow that they would slay • « •

Godscroft, v, 2, p. 101, Edit. 174.^.

• " To ding down Tantallon, and make a bridge to the Bass," was an adage expressive of impossibility. The shat- tered ruins of this celebrated fortress still overhang a tremen- dous rock on the coast of East Lothian. t Edgebucklin, near :Musselburgh. INTRODUCTION. XXV

The pertinacious opposition of Angus to his doom irritated to the extreme the fiery temper of James,

and he swore, in his wrath, that a Douglas should

never serve him ; an oath which he kept in circum-

stances, under which the spirit of chivalry which he worshipped* should have taught him other feelings.

While these transactions, by which the fate of

Scotland was influenced, were passing upon the

Eastern Border, the Lord Maxwell seems to have

* I allude to the affecting story of Douglas of Kilspindie, uncle to the Earl of Angus. This gentleman had been placed by Angus about the King's person, who, when a boy, loved him much on account of his singular activity of body, and was wont to call him his Graysteil, after a champion of chivalry, in the romance of Sir Eger and Sir Grime. He shared, however, the fate of his chief, and, for many years, served in France. Weary at length of exile, the aged warrior, recol- lecting the King's personal attachment to him, resolved to throw himself on his clemency. As James returned from hunting in the park at StirHug, he saw a person at a distance, and, turning to his nobles, exclaimed, " Yonder is my Gray-

" steil, Archibald of Kilspindie !" As he approached, Douglas threw himself on his knees, and implored permission to lead an obscure life in his native land. But the name of Douglas was an amulet, which steel'd the King's heart against the influence of compassion and juvenile recollection. He passed the suppUant without an answer, and rode briskly up the steep hill towards the castle. Kilspindie, though loaded with a hauberk under his clothes, kept pace with the horse, in vain eu- —

XXVI INTRODUCTIOX.

exercised a most uncontroulecl domination in Dum-

fries-shire. Even the power of the Earl of Angus

was exerted in vain against the banditti of Liddes-

dale, protected and bucklered by this mighty chief.

Repeated complaints are made by the English re-

sidents, of the devastation occasioned by the depre-

dations of the Elliots, Scots, and Armstrongs, con-

nived at and encouraged by Maxwell, Buccleuch,

and Fairnihirst. At a convention of Border com-

missioners, it was agreed that the King of England, in case the excesses of the Liddesdale freebooters

were not duly redressed, should be at liberty to issue letters of reprisal to his injured subjects, grant-

ing " power to invade the said inhabitants of Lid-

" desdale, to their slaughters, burning, heirships,

" robbing, reifing, despoiling, and destruction, and

deavouring to catch a glance from the implacable monarch. He sat down at the gate, weary and exhausted, and asked for a draught of water. Even this was refused by the royal attendants. The King afterwards blamed their discourtesy ; but Kilspindie was obliged to return to France, where he died of a broken heart ; the same disease which afterwards brought to the grave his unrelenting sovereign. Even the stern Henry VHI. blamed his nephew's conduct, quoting the generous saying, "A King's face should give grace," Godscroft, vol. II. p. 107. INTRODUCTION. XXVll

" SO to continue the same at his Grace's pleasure," till the attempts of the inhabitants were fully atoned for. This impolitic expedient, by which the Scot- tish Prince, unable to execute justice on his turbulent subjects, committed to a rival sovereign the power of unlimited chastisement, was a principal cause of the savage state of the Borders. For the inhabitants, finding that the sword of revenge was substituted for that of justice, were loosened from their attachment to Scotland, and boldly threatened to carry on their depredations, in spite of the efforts of both kingdoms.

James V., however, was not backward in using more honourable expedients to quell the banditti on the Borders. The imprisonment of their chiefs, 1529

and a noted expedition, in which many of the prin-

cipal thieves were executed (see introduction to the ballad, called Johnie Armstrongs) produced such

good effects, that, according to an ancient pictu-

resque history, " thereafter there was great peace

" and rest a long time, where through the King had

" great profit ; for he had ten thousand sheep go-

" ing in the Ettrick Forest, in keeping by Andrew

" Bell, who made the King so good covnit of them —

XXVlll INTRODUCTION.

as they had gone in the bounds of Fife." Pits-

COTTIE, p. 153.

A breach with England interrupted the tranquil-

1532 lity of the Borders. The Earl of Northumberland,

a formidable name to Scotland, ravaged the Middle

Marches, and burned Branxholm, the abode of Buc-

cleuch, the hereditary enemy of the English name.

Buccleuch, with the Barons of Cessford and Fair-

nihirst, retaliated by a raid into England, where

153?. they acquired much spoil. On the East March,

Fowbery was destroyed by the Scots, and Dunglass

Castle by D'Arcy, and the banished Angus. A short peace was quickly followed by another

war, which proved fatal to Scotland, and to her

King. In the battle of Haddenrig, the English,

and the exiled Douglasses, were defeated by the

Lords Huntly and Home ; but this was a transient

gleam of success. Kelso was burned, and the Bor-

1542 ders ravaged, by the Duke of Norfolk ; and finally,

the rout of Solway Moss, in which ten thousand

men, the flower of the Scottish army, were disper-

sed and defeated by a band of five hundred Eng-

lish cavalry, or rather by their own dissentions,

broke the proud heart of James; a death more ;

INTKODUCTION. XXIX

painful a hundred-fold than was met by his father

in the field of Flodden.

When the strength of the Scottish army had sunk,

without wounds, and without renown, the principal

chiefs were led captive into England. Among these

was the Lord Maxwell, who was compelled, by the

menaces of Henry, to swear allegiance to the Eng-

lish monarch. There is still in existence the spirited

instrument of vindication, by which he renounces

his connection with England, and the honours and

estates which had been proffered him, as the price

of treason to his infant sovereign. From various

bonds of manrent, it appears that all the Western

Marches were swayed by this powerful chieftain.

With Maxwell, and the other captives, returned to

Scotland the banished Earl of Angus, and his bro-

ther. Sir George Douglas, after a banishment of

fifteen years. This powerful family regained at

least a part of their influence upon the Borders

and, grateful to the kingdom which had afforded

them protection during their exile, became chiefs of the English faction in Scotland, whose object it was to urge a contract of marriage betwixt the young-

Queen and the heir apparent of England. The

6 —

XXX INTRODUCTION. impetuosity of Hemy, the ancient hatred betwixt the nations, and the wavering temper of the Go- vernor, Arran, prevented the success of this measure. The wrath of the disappointed monarch discharged itself in a wide-wasting and furious invasion of the East ^Marches, conducted by the Earl of

Hertford. Seton, Home, and Buccleuch, hanging on the mountains of Lammermoor, saw, with ineffectual regret, the fertile plains of ]\rerse and Lo- thian, and the metropolis itself, reduced to a smo- king desert. Hertford liad scarcely retreated witli the main army, when Evers and Latoun laid waste the whole vale of Tiviot, with a ferocity of devastation hitherto unheard of * The same " lion mode of wooing," being pursued during the minority of

• In Hayne's State Papers, from p. 43 to p. 64, is an account of these destructive forays. One list of the places burned and destroyed enumerates

Monasteries and Freehouses 7 Castles, towres, and piles 16 Market townes 5 Villages 2t3 Mylnes 13 Spytells and hospitals 3

See also official accounts of these expeditions, in Dalyell's Fragments. INTRODUCTION. XXXI

Edward VI., totally alienated the aifections even of

those Scots who were most attached to the English

interest. The Earl of Angus, in particular, united

himself to the Governor, and gave the English a ^^^ sharp defeat at Ancram Moor, a particular account ^

of which action is subjoined to the ballad, entitled, " The Eve of St John."" Even the fatal defeat at Pinkey, which at once renewed the carnage at Flod-

den, and the disgrace of Solway, served to prejudice

the cause of the victors. The Borders saw, with

dread and detestation, the ruinous fortress of Rox-

burgh once more receive an English garrison, and

the widow of Lord Home driven from his baronial

castle to make room for the " Southern Reivers.''''

Many of the barons made a reluctant submission ^^^'^

to Somerset ; but those of the higher part of the

Marches remained among their mountains, meditating revenge. A similar incursion was made on the

West Borders by Lord Wharton, who, with five thousand men, ravaged and overran Annandale,

Nithsdale, and Galloway, compelling the inhabitants to receive the yoke of England. *

* Patten gives us a list of those East Border Chiefs who did homage to the Duke of Somerset, on tlie 24th of September, — —

XXXU INTIIODUCTION.

The arrival of French auxiharies, and of Frencli

gold, rendered vain the splendid successes of the

English. One by one, the fortresses which they

occupied were recovered by force, or by strata-

gem ; and the vindictive cruelty of the Scottish

Borderers made dreadful retaliation for the injuries

they had sustained. An idea may be conceived of

15t7 ; namely, the Lairds of Cessforth, Fernyherst, Grene- head, Hunthill, Hundely, Makerstone, Bymerside, Bounjed- worth, Ormeston, Mellestaines^ Warmesay, Synton, Eger- ston, Merton, Mowe, Rydell, Beamerside. Of gentlemen, he enumerates George Tromboul, Jhon Haliburton, Robert Car, Robert Car of Greyden, Adam Rirton, Andrew Mether, Saun- ders Purvose of Erleston, IVIark Car of Littledean, George Car of Faldenside, Alexander Mackdowal, Charles Rutherford, Thomas Car of the Yere, Jhon Car of IMeynthorn (Nen- thom), Walter Holiburton, Richard Hangansyde, Andrew Car, James Douglas of Cavers, James Car of Mersington, George Hoppringle, Wilham Ormeston of Emerden, John Grymslowe. Patten, in Dalyell's Fragments^ p. 87. On the West Border, the following barons and clans sub- mitted and gave pledges to Lord Wharton, that they would serve the King of England, with the number of followers annexed to their names : Annerdale. INTRODUCTION. XXXUl this horrible warfare, from the memoirs of Beauge, a French officer, serving in Scotland.

The castle of Fairnihirst, situated about three miles above Jedburgh, had been taken and garri-

Annerdale. XXXIV INTRODUCTION.

soned by the English. The commander and his

followers are accused of such excesses of lust and

cruelty, " as would,"' says Beauge, " have made to

" tremble the most savage Moor in Africa." A band

of Frenchmen, with the Laird of Fairnihirst, and

1.549 his Borderers, assaulted this fortress. The English

archers showered their arrows down the steep ascent

leading to the castle, and from the outer wall by

which it was surrounded. A vigorous escalade,

however, gained the base court, and the sharp fire

of the French arquebusiers drove the bowmen into

the square keep, or dungeon, of the fortress. Here

the English defended themselves, till a breach in

the wall was made by mining. Through this hole

the commandant creeped forth ; and, surrendering

himself to De la IMothe-rouge, implored protection

from the vengeance of the Borderers. But a Scot-

tish Marchman, eveing in the captive the ravisher

of his wife, approached him ere the French officer

could guess his intention, and, at one blow, carried

his head four paces from the trunk. Above a hun-

dred Scots rushed to wash their hands in the blood

of their oppressor, bandied about the severed head,

and expressed their joy in such shouts, as if they

had stormed the city of London. The prisoners, —

INTRODUCTION. XXXV

who fell into their merciless hands, were put to death, after their eyes had been torn out ; the victors contending who should display the greatest address in severing their legs and arms, before inflicting a mortal wound. When their own prisoners were slain, the Scottish, with an unextinguishable thirst for

blood, purchased those of the French ; parting wil- lingly Avith their very arms, in exchange for an Eng- lish captive. " I myself,'' says Beauge, with military sans-froid, " I myself sold them a prisoner for

" a small horse. They laid him down upon the

*' ground, galloped over him with their lances in

" rest, and wounded him as they passed. "When

" slain, they cut his body in pieces, and bore the

" mangled gobbets, in triumph, on the points of

" their spears. I cannot greatly praise the Scottish

" for this practice. But the truth is, that the Eng-

" lish tyrannized over the Borders in a most bar-

" barous manner ; and I think it was but fair to re-

" pay them, according to the proverb, in their own

" coin." Campagnes de Beauge.

A peace, in 1551, put an end to this war ; the

most destructive which, for a length of time, had

ravaged Scotland. Some attention was paid by the XXXVl INTRODUCTION.

governor and queen-mother, to the administration

ofjustice on the Border ; and the chieftains, who had

distinguished themselves during the late troubles,

received the honour of knighthood.*

At this time, also, the Debateable Land, a tract

of country, situated betwixt the Esk and Sarke, claimed by both kingdoms, was divided by royal

commissioners, appointed by the two crowns. By

their award, this land of contention was separated

by a line, drawn from east to west, betwixt the

rivers. The upper half was adjudged to Scotland,

and the more eastern part to England. Yet the

Debateable Land continued long after to be the re-

sidence of thieves and banditti, to whom its dubious state had afforded a desirable refuge.f

" • These were the Lairds of Buccleuch, Cessford, and Fair- nihirst^ Littleden^ Grenehed, and Coldingknows. Buccleuch, whose gallant exploits we have noticed, did not long enjoy his new honours. He was mvirdered in the streets of Edinburgh by his hereditary enemies, the Kerrs, anno 1552.

+ The jest of James VI. is well known, who, when a favourite cow had found her way from London, back to her native country of Fife, observed, " that nothing surprised *' him so much as her passing uninterrupted through the De- !" " bateable Land — — —

INTRODUCTION, XXXVll

In 1557, a new war broke out, in wliich rencoun- ters on the Borders were, as usual, numerous, and with varied success. In some of these, the too famous Bothwell is said to have given proofs of his courage, which was at otlier times very question- able.* About this time the Scottish Borderers seem to have acquired some ascendancy over their soutli- ern neighbours. Strype, vol. III.—In 1559, peace was again restored.

The flame of reformation, long stifled in Scot- land, now burst forth, with the violence of a volcanic eruption. The siege of Leith was commenced by the combined forces of the Congregation and of

England. The Borderers cared little about spe-

culative points of religion ; but they shewed them-

* He was Lord of Liddesdale, and keeper of the Hermitage Castle. But he had little effective power over that country, and was twice defeated by the Armstrongs, its lawless inhabitants. Bo7 cler Hixfarij, p. .'584. Yet the unfortunate Mary, in her famous Apology, says, " that in the weiris against Ing- " land, he gaif proof of his valyentes, courage, and gude " conduct ;" and praises him especially for subjugating '^'the " rebellious subjectis inhabiting the cuntreis lying ewest the

" marches of Ingland." Keith, p. 388. He appears actually to have defeated Sir Henry Percy, in a skirmish, called the Raid of Haltwellswire. XXXVm INTRODUCTION.

selves much interested in the treasures which pass-

ed through their country, for payment of the Eng-

hsh forces at Edinburgh. Much alarm was excited,

lest the Marchers should intercept these weighty

protestant arguments ; and it was, probably, by vo-

luntarily imparting a share in them to Lord Home,

that he became a sudden convert to the new faith.*

Upon the arrival of the ill-fated Mary in her native country, she found the Boi'ders in a state of great disorder. The exertions of her natural brother (afterwards the famous regent Murray) were necessary to restore some degree of tranquillity. He marched to Jedburgh, executed twenty or thirty of the transgressors, burnt many houses, and brought a number of prisoners to Edinburgh. The chieftains of the principal clans were also obliged to grant pledges for their future obedience. A noted convention (for the particulars of which, see Border

* This nobleman had, shortly before, threatened to spoil the

English East IMarch ; "but," says the Duke of Norfolk, " we

" have provided such sauce for him, that I think he will not

" deal in such matter ; but, if he do fire but one hay-goff, he " shall not go to Home again without torch-light, and, per- " adventure, may find a lanthorn at his own house." —

INTllODUCTION. XXXIX

Laws, p. 84,) adopted various regulations, Avhich

were attended with great advantage to the Marches.* The unhappy match betwixt Henry Damley and his sovereign led to new dissensions on the Borders.

The Homes, Kerrs, and other East Marchers, has-

tened to support the Queen, against Murray, Chatel-

herault, and other nobles, whom her marriage had

offended. For the same purpose, the Johnstones,

Jardines, and clans of Annandale, entered into bonds

of confederacy. But Liddesdale was under the in-

fluence of England ; in so much, that Randolpli, the

English minister, proposed to hire a band of strap- ping Elliots, to find Home business at home, in

looking after his corn and cattle. Keith, p. 9,Q5.

App. 133.

This storm was hai-dly overblown, when Bothwell

received tlie commission of lieutenant upon the Boi'-

ders ; but, as void of parts as of principle, he could

not even recover to the Queen's allegiance his own

* The commissioners on the EngHsh side were, the elder Lord Scroope of BoUon^ Sir John Foster^ Sir Thomas Gar- grave, and Dr Rookby. On the Scottish side appeared. Sir John ^Maxwell of Terreagles, and Sir John Bellenden. —

xl INTRODUCTION.

domains in Liddesdale Keith, App. 165. The

Queen herself advanced to the Borders, to remedy

this e\al, and to hold courts at Jedburgh. Both-

well was already in Liddesdale, where he had been

severely wounded, in an attempt to seize John El-

liot, of the Parke, a desperate freebooter ; and happy had it been for Mary, had the dagger of the mosstrooper struck more home. Bothwell, being transported to his castle of Hermitage, the Queen, upon hearing the tidings, hastened thither. A dangerous morass, still called the Qiiceiis Mire,* is pointed out by tradition as the spot where the lovely Mary, and her white palfrey, were in danger of perisliing. The distance betwixt Hermitage and Jed- burgh, by the way of Hawick, is nearly twenty-four

* The Queens Mire is still a pass of danger, exhibiting, in many places, the bones of the horses which have been entang- led in it. For what reason the Queen chose to enter Liddes- dale by the circuitous route of Hawick, does not appear. There are two other passes from Jedburgh to Hennitage castle ; the one by the Note of the Gate, the other over the mountain, called Winburgh. Either of these, but especially the latter, is several miles shorter than that by Hawick, and tlie Queen's Mire. But, by the circuitous way of Hawick, the Queen could traverse the districts of more friendly clans, than by going directly into the disorderly province of Liddesdale. INTRODUCTIOX. xli

English miles. The Queen went and returned the

same day. Whether she visited a wounded subject, or a lover in danger, has been warmly disputed in our latter days.

To the death of Henry Darnley, it is said, some

of the Border lords were privy. But the subse-

quent marriage, betwixt the Queen and Bothwel ,

alienated from her the affections of the chieftains of

the Marches, most of whom aided the association of the insurgent barons. A few gentlemen of the Merse, however, joined the army which Mary brought to Carberry-hill. But no one was willing to fight for the detested Bothwell, nor did Bothwell himself shew any inchnation to put his person in jeopardy. The result to Mary was a rigorous cap-

tivity in Lochleven Castle ; and the name of Both-

well scarcely again pollutes the page of Scottish history.

The distress of a beautiful and afflicted princess softened the hearts of her subjects ; and, when she escaped from her severe captivity, the most powerful barons in Scotland crowded around her standard. Among these were many of the West Border xlii INTRODUCTION. men, under the Lords Maxwell and Herries.* But the defeat at Langside was a deatli-blow to her interest in Scotland.

Not long afterwards occurred that period of general confusion on the Borders, when the insurrection of the catholic Earls of Northumberland and

Westmoreland took place upon the Borders of Eng- land. Their tumultuary forces were soon dispersed, and the Earls themselves, with their principal followers, sought refuge vipon the Scottish Marches.

Northumberland was betrayed into the hands of the

regent ; but Westmoreland, with his followers, took refuge in the castle of Fairnihirst, where he was protected by its powerful owner. The regent himself came to Jedburgh, to obtain possession of these

important pledges ; but as he marched towards the castle of Fairnihirst, his men shrunk from him by degrees, till he was left with a small body of his own personal dependants, inadequate to the task for which he had undertaken the expedition. Westmoreland afterwards escaped to Flanders by sea. Robert

* The followers of these barons are said to have stolen the horses of their friends, while they were engaged in the battle. INTRODUCTION. xliii

Constable, a spy sent by Six- Ralph Sadler into Scot-

land, gives a lively account of the state of the Bor-

ders at this time.*

* He was guided by one Pyle of IMillheuch, (upon Oxnam water,) and gives the following account of his conversation with

him on the state of the country ;, and the power of his master,

the Baron of Fairnihirst : —" By the way as we rode, I tould my oste that the Lord of Farneherst, his master, had taken such an entreprise in hand as not a subject in England durst do the like, to kepe any mann openly as he did the Earle of Westmorland, against the will of the chief in aucthoritie. He said that his master cared not so much for the regent as the

regent cared for him, for he was well able to raise iij thousand men within his own rule, beside that his first wief, by whom he hed goodly children, was daughter to the Lord Grange, Captaine of Edenborowe Castell, and Provost of Eden- borowe. This wief that he married lately is sister to the Lord

of Bucclewghe, a man of greater power then his master ; also my Lord Hume, and almost all the gentlemen in Tevydale, the Marsh, and Lowdyan, were knitt together in such friendship that they are agred all to take one part ; and that the Lord Grange was oftended with the Lord Hume and the Lord Farneherst, because they toke not the Earle of Nor- thumberland from my lord regent at Gedworthe, and sent plane word to the Lord Farneherst, that if the lord regent

came any more to seeke him in Tevydale, he should lose all his bulles, both the duke, the Lord Herris, the secretary, and others, he should sett them all at libertye that would come

with all their power, with good will, to take his part ; and by as much as I hear since, the Tevydale menn pretends to do the anoyances that they can to England, so sone as this storme is past, and meanes not to answer to any day of truce." —

Xliv INTRODUCTION.

The death of the regent Murray, in 1569, excited

the party of Mary to hope and to exertion. It seems,

that the design of Bothwellliaugh, who slew him,

was well known upon the Borders ; for, the very day on which the slaughter happened, Buccleuch and

Fairnihirst, with tkeir clans, broke into England,

and spread devastation along the frontiers, with un-

usual ferocity. It is probable they well knew that

the controuling hand of the regent was that day pal-

sied by death, Buchanan exclaims loudly against

Another passage presents a lively picture of the inside of the outlaw's cabin : —" I left Farneherst, and went to my ostes house;, where I found many gests of dy vers factions, some outlawes of Ingland, some of Scotland, some neighbors therabout, at cards ; some for ale, some for plake and hardhedds ; and after that I had diligently learned and enquired that there was none ofany surname that had me in deadly fude, nor none that knew me, I sat downe, and plaid for hardhedds emongs them, where I hard, vox popuU, that the lord regent would not, for his own honor, nor for thonor of his countery, deliver the earles, if he had them bothe, unlest it were to have there quene delivered to him, and if he wold agre to make that change, the Borderers wold stert up in his contrary, and reave both the quene and the lords from him, for the like shame was never done in Scotland ; and that he durst better eate his owne luggs then come again to seke Farneherst ; if he did, he should be fought with ere he came over Sowtrey edge. Hec- tor of Tharlowcs hedd was wished to have been eaten amongs us at supper." Sadleu's State Papers, Editi. 1809, vol. II. pp. 384., 388. —

INTRODUCTION. xlv

tliis breach of truce with Elizabeth, charging Queen

Mary's party with liaving " houndit furth proude

" and uncircumspecte young men, to hery, burne,

" and slay, and tak prisoners, in her realme, and use

" all misordour and crueltie, not only usit in weir,

" but detestabil to all barbar and wild Tartaris, in

" slaying of prisonei-is, and contrair to all humanitie

" and justice, keeping na promeis to miserabil cap-

" tives resavit anis to thair mercy.*" Admonitioun

to the trew Lordis, Striveling, 1571. He numbers, among these insurgents, Highlanders as well as Bor-

derers, Buccleuch and Fairnihirst, the Johnstons

and Armstrongs, the Grants, and the clan Chattan.

Besides these powerful clans, Mary numbered among

her adherents the Maxwells, and almost all the West

Border leaders, excepting Drumlanrig, and Jardine

of Applegirth. On the Eastern Border, the faction

of the infant King was more powerful ; for, although

deserted by Lord Home, the greater part of his clan,

under the influence of Wedderburn, remained at-

tached to that party. The Laird of Cessford. wish-

ed them well, and the Earl of Angus naturally fol-

lowed the steps of his uncle Morton. A sharp and

bloody invasion of the Middle March, under the

command of the Earl of Sussex, avenged with intc-

3 Xlvi INTRODUCTION. rest the raids of Buccleuch and Fairnihirst. The domains of these chiefs were laid waste, their castles burnt and destroyed. The narrow vales of Beau- mont and Kale, belonging to Buccleuch, were treat-

ed with peculiar severity ; and the forrays of Hert- ford were equalled by that of Sussex. In vain did the chiefs request assistance from the government to defend their forti-esses. Through the predomina- ting interest of Elizabeth in the Scottish councils, this was refused to all but Home, whose castle,

nevertheless, again received an English garrison ; while Buccleuch and Fairnihirst complained bitterly that those, who had instigated their invasion, durst not even come so far as Lauder, to shew countenance to their defence against the English. The bickerings, which followed, distracted the whole

kingdom. One celebrated exploit may be selected,

as an illustration of the Border fashion of war.

The Earl of Lennox, who had succeeded j\Iur-

ray in the regency, held a parliament at Stirling, in 1571. The young King was exhibited to the great

council of his nation. He had been tutored to re-

peat a set speech, composed for the occasion ; but,

observing that the roof of the building was a little IMTRODUCTION. xlvii decayed, he interrupted his recitation, and exclaimed, with childish levity, " that there was a hole in the parliament/'—words which, in those days, were held to presage the deadly breach shortly to be made in that body, by the death of him in whose name it was convoked.

Amid the most undisturbed security of confidence, the lords who composed this parliament were roused at day-break by the shouts of their enemies in the heart of the town. God and the Queen ! resound- ed from every quarter, and, in a few minutes, the regent, with the astonished nobles of his party, were prisoners to a band of two hundred Border cavalry, led by Scott of Buccleuch, and to the Lord Claud

Hamilton, at the head of three hundred infantry.

These enterprizing chiefs, by a rapid and well-concerted manoeuvre, had reached Stirling in a night march from Edinburgh, and without so much as being bayed at by a watch-dog, had seized the principal street of the town. The fortunate obstinacy of Morton saved his party. Stubborn and undaunted, he defended his house till the assailants set it in flames, and then yielded with reluctance to his kinsman, Buccleuch. But the time which he had gain- Xlviii INTRODUCTION. ed effectually served his cause. -The Borderers had

dispersed to plunder the stables of the nobility ; the infantry thronged tumultuously together on the main street, when the Earl of Mar, issuing from the castle placed one or two small pieces of ordnance in his own half-built house,* which commands the market place. Hardly had the artillery begun to scour the street, when the assailants, surprised in their turn, fled with precipitation. Their alarm was increased by the townsmen thronging to arms. Those who had been so lately triumphant, were now, in many instances, asking the protection of their own prisoners. In all probability, not a man would hav^ escaped death, or captivity, but for the characteristic rapacity of Buccleuch's marauders, who, having seized and carried off all the horses in the town, left the victors no means of following the chace. The regent Avas slain by an officer, named Caulder, in order to prevent his being rescued. Spens of Or- miston, to whom he had surrendered, lost his life in

* This building still remains in the unfinislied state which it then presented. —

INTRODUCTION. xlix a generous attempt to pi'otect him.* Hardly does our history present another enterprize, so well plan- ned, so happily commenced, and so strangely dis- concerted. To the licence of the Marchmen the

failure Avas attributed ; but the same cause ensured a safe retreat. Spottiswoode, Godscuoft, Ro- bertson, Melville.

• Birrel says, that " the regent was shot by an unhappy fel- " low, while sitting on horseback behind the Laird of Buc- " clench."—The following curious account of the whole transaction, is extracted from a journal of principal events, in the years 1570, 1571, 1572, and part of 1573, kept by Richard Bannatyne, amanuensis to John Knox. " The fourt of Sep- " tember, they of Edinburgh, horsemen and futmen (and, as " was reported, the most part of Clidisdaill, that pertenit to *' the Hamiltons), come to Strivehng, the number of iii or iiii c " men, on hors bak, guydit be ane George Bell, their hac- " butteris being all horsed, enterit in Striveling, be fy ve houris " in the morning (whair thair was never one to mak watche),

'' ' crying this slogane, God and the Queen ! ane Hamiltoune ! " think on the Bishop of St Androis, all is owres ;' and so a " certaine come to everie grit manis ludgene, and apprehendit

" the Lordis Mortoun and Glencarne ; but Mortounis hous " they set on fyre, wha randerit him to the Laird of Balcleuch, " Wormestoun being appointed to the regentes hous, desyrcd " him to cum furth, which he had no will to doe, yet, be per-

" swasione of Garleys and otheris, with hinT, tho't it best to " come in will, nor to byde the extremitie, becaus they suppo- " sed there was no resistance, and swa the regent come furth, " and was randered to Wormestoune, under promeis to save " his lyfe. Captane Crawfurde, being in the town, gat sum " men out of the castcll, and uther gentlcinen being in the

VOL. I. D 1 INTHODUCTIOX.

The wily Earl of Morton, Avho, after the short

intervening regency of Mar, succeeded to the su-

preme authority, contrived, by force or artifice, to

render the party of the King every where superior.

" town, come as they my't best to the geat, chased them out " of the town. The regent was shot by ane Captain Cader,

*' who confessed that he did it at commande of George Bell, " wha was commandit so to doe be the Lord Hunthe and Claud " Hamilton. Some says, that Wormestoun was schot by the " same schot that slew the regent, but alwayis he was slane,

" notwithstanding the regent cryed to save him, but it culd *' not be, the furie was so grit of the persewaris, who follow-

*' ing so fast, the Lord of INIortone said to Buccleuch, ' I sail " save you as you savit me,' and so he was tane. Garleys, " and sindrie otheris, war slane at the port, in the persute of " thame. Thair war ten or twelve gentlemen slane of the " king's folk, and als mony of theiris, or mea, as was said, " and a dozen or xvi tane. Twa especiall servantis of the " Lord Argyle's were slane also. This Cader, that schot the " regent, was once turned bak off the toune, and was send

" again (as is said), be the Lord Huntlie, to cause Wormis- " toun retire ; but, before he come agane, he was dispatched, " and had gottin deidis woundis.

" The regent being schot (as said is), was brought to the cas- " tel, whar he callit for ane phisitione, one for his soule, ane " uther for his bodie. But all hope of life was past, for he was

" Bchot in his entreallis ; and swa, after sumthingis spokin to " the lordis, which I know not, he departed in the feare of " God, and made a blessed end ; whilk the rest of the lordis, " that tho't thame to his hiert, and lytle reguardit him, shall " not make so blised an end, unles they mend their maneirs.'* This curious manuscript has been published, under the in- spection of John Graham Dalyell, Esq. ;

INTRODUCTION. ll

Even on the Middle Borders, he had the address to engage in his cause the powerful, though savage and licentious, clans of Rutherford and TurnbuU, as well as the citizens of Jedburgh. He was thus enabled to counterpoise his powerful opponents,

Buccleuch and Fairnihirst, in their own country and, after an unsuccessful attempt to surprise Jed- burgh, even these warm adherents of Mary relinquished her cause in despair.

AVhile Morton swayed the state, his attachment to Elizabeth, and the humiliation which many of the Border chiefs had undergone, contributed to maintain good order on the Marches, till James VI. himself assumed the reins of government. The intervening skirmish of the Reidswire, (see the Ballad under that title) was but a sudden explosion of the rivahy and suppressed hatred of the Bordei-ers of both kingdoms. In truth, the stern rule of Morton, and of his delegates, men unconnected with the Bor- ders by birth, maintained in that country more strict discipline than had ever been there exercised. Per- haps this hastened his fall. The unpopularity of Morton, acquired partly by the strict administration of justice, and partly by avarice and severity, forced him from the regency. ——

lii INTRODUCTION,

In ]o7S, he retired, appai'ently, from state affairs,

to his castle of Dalkeith ; which the populace, em-

phatically expressing their awe and dread of his

person, termed the Lion's Den. But IVIorton could

not live in retirement ; and, early in the same year,

the aged, lion again rushed from his cavern. By a

mixture of policy and violence, he possessed him-

self of the fortress of Stirling, and of the person of

James. His nephew, Angus, hastened to his assist-

ance. Against him appeared his follower Cessford,

with many of the Homes, and the citizens of Edin- burgh. Alluding to the restraint of the king's per-

son, they bore his effigy on their banners, with a

rude rhyme, demanding liberty or death. Bir-

EEi.'s Diary, ad annum, 1578. The Earl of Morton

marched against his foes as far as Falkirk, and a

desperate action must have ensued, but for the per-

suasion of Bowes, the English ambassador. The

only blood, then spilt, was in a duel betwixt Tait,

a follower of Cessford, and Johnstone, a West Border man, attending upon Angus. They fought

with lances, and on horseback, according to the fa-

shion of the Borders. The former was unhorsed

and slain, the latter desperately wounded. Gods-

CROFT, vol. II. p. 261. The prudence of the late 12 INTllODUCTION. Uu regent appears to have abandoned him, when he was decoyed into a treaty vipon this occasion. It was not long before Morton, the veteran warrior, and the crafty statesman, was forced to bend his neck to an engine of death, * the use of which he himself had introduced into Scotland.

Released from the thraldom of Morton, the King, with more than youthful levity, threw his supreme power into the hands of Lennox and Arran. The religion of the first, and the infamous character of the second favourite, excited the hatred of the com- mons, while their exclusive and engrossing power awakened the jealousy of the other nobles. James, doomed to be the sport of contending factions, Avas seized at Stirling by the nobles, confederated in what was termed the Raid of Ruthven. But the conspi- rators soon suffered their prize to escape, and were rewarded for their enterprizc by exile or death.

In 1585, an affray took place at a Border meeting, in which Lord Russel, the Larl of Bedford's eldest son, chanced to be slain. Queen Elizabeth

* A ruile sort of guillotine, called the maiden. The imple- ment is now in possession of the Societyof Scottish Antiquaries. — —

liv INTRODUCTION.

imputed the guilt of this slaughter to Thomas Ker

of Fairnihirst, instigated by Arran. Upon the im-

perious demand of the English ambassador, both

Avere committed to prison ; but the minion, Arran,

was soon restored to liberty and favour ; while Fair-

nihirst, the dread of the Enghsh Borderers, and the

gallant defender of Queen Mary, Hied in his confine-

ment, of a broken heart. Spottiswoode, p. ')41.

The tyranny of Arran becoming daily more insu}>,

portable, the exiled lords, joined by INIaxwell, Home,

Bothwell, and other Border chieftains, seized the

town of Stirling, which was pillaged by their disor-

derly followers, invested the castle, which surren-

dered at discretion, and drove the favourite from

the king"'s covuicil. *

The King, perceiving the Earl of Bothwell among

the armed barons, to whom he surrendered his per-

son, addressed him in these 'prophetic words :

" The associated nobles seem to have owed their success chiefly to the Border spearmen ; for, though they had a band of mercenaries, who used fire-arms, yet they were such bad masters of their craft, their captain was heard to observe, " that " those, who knew his soldiers as well as he did, would hard-

" ly chuse to march before them."—Godscroft, v. ii. p. 368. —

INTRODUCTION. Iv

" Francis, Francis, what moved thee to come in

*' arms against thy prince, who never wronged thee ?

" I wish thee a more quiet spirit, else I foresee thy

" destruction." Spottiswoode, p. 343.

In fact, the extraordinary enterprizes of this nobleman disturbed the next ten years of James's reign.

Francis Stuart, son to a bastard of James V., had

been invested with the titles and estates belonging

to his maternal uncle, James Hepburn, Earl of Both-

well, upon the forfeiture of that infamous man ; and

consequently became TiOrd of Liddesdale, and of the castle of Hermitage. This acquisition of power

upon the Borders, where he could easily levy fol-

lowers willing to undertake the most desperate en-

terprize, joined to the man's native daring and violent spirit, rendered Bothwell the most turbulent in-

surgent that ever disturbed the tranquillity of a kingdom. During the King's absence in Denmark, Both- well, swayed by the superstition of his age, had tam- pered with certain soothsayers and witches, by whose

pretended art he hoped to foretell, or perhaps to

achieve, the death of his monarch. In one of the courts of inquisition, which James delighted to hold

upon the professors of the occult sciences, some of Ivi INTllODUCTIOX. his cousin's proceedings were brouglit to light, for which he was put in ward in the castle of Edin- burgh. Burning with revenge, he broke from his confinement, and lurked for some time upon the

Borders, where he hoped for the countenance of his son-in-law, Buccleuch. Undeterred by the absence of that chief, who, in obedience to the royal command, had prudently retired to France, Bothwell attempted the desperate enter])rize of seizing the person of the King, while residing in his metropolis.

At the dead of the night, followed by a band of Borderers, he occupied the court of the palace of

Holyrood, and began to burst open the doors of the royal apartments. The nobility, distrustful of each other, and ignorant of the extent of the conspiracy, only endeavoured to make good the defence of their

separate lodgings ; but darkness and confusion pre-

vented the assailants from profiting by tlieir dis-

union. Melville, who was present, gives a lively

picture of the scene of disorder, transiently illumi-

nated by the glare of passing torches ; while the re-

port of fire-arms, the clatter of armour, the din of

liammers thundering on the gates, mingled wildly

with the war-cry of the Borderers, who shouted in- — ;

INTRODUCTION. Ivii

" cessantly, Justice ! Justice ! A Bothwell ! A

" Bothwell !"" The citizens of Edinburgh at length began to assemble for the defence of their sovereign and Bothwell was compelled to retreat, which he did without considerable loss. Melville, p. 356. A similar attempt on the person of James, while residing at Faulkland, also misgave ; but the credit which Bothwell obtained on the Borders, by these bold and desperate enterprizes, was incredible. " All

" Tiviotdale," says Spottiswoode, " ran after him ;"

so that he finally obtained his object; and at Edin-

burgh, in 1593, he stood before James, an unex-

pected apparition, with his naked sword in his hand.

" Strike !"" said James, with royal dignity—" Strike,

" and end thy work ! I will not survive my disho- " nour." But Bothwell, with unexpected modera-

tion, only stipulated for remission of his forfeiture,

and did not even insist on remaining at court, whence

his party was shortly expelled, by the return of the

Lord Home, and his other enemies. Incensed at

this reverse, Bothwell levied a body of four hundred

cavalry, and attacked the King''s guard in broad day,

upon the Borough Moor near Edinburgh. The

ready succour of the citizens saved James from fall- —

Vlll INTllODUCTION.

ing once more into the hands of his turbulent subject. * On a subsequent day, Bothwell met the Laird

of Cessford, riding near Edinburgh, with whom he

fought a single combat, which lasted for two hours. -f-

But his credit was now fallen ; he retreated to Eng-

land, whence he was driven by Elizabeth, and then

Avandered to Spain and Italy, where he subsisted,

in indigence and obscurity, on the bread which he

earned by apostatizing to the faith of Rome. So

fell this agitator of domestic broils, whose name

passed into a proverb, denoting a powerful and tur-

bulent demagogue. |

* Spottiswoode says, the King awaited this charge with firm-

ness ; but Birrell avers, that he fled upon the gallop. The same author, instead of the firm deportment of James, when seized by Both well, describes " the king's majestic as flying " down the back stair, with his breeches in his hand, in great

" fear." Birrell, apud Dalyell, p. 30. Such is the difference betwixt the narrative of the courtly archbishop, and that of the presbyterian burgess of Edinbiirgh. t This rencounter took place at Humbie, in East Lothian. Bothwell was attended by a servant, called Gibson, and Cess- ford by one of the Rutherfords, who was hurt in the cheek.

The combatants parted from pure fatigue ; for the defensive armour of the times was so completely impenetrable, that the wearer seldom sustained much damage by actual wounds. % Sir Walter Raleigh, in writing of EsseXj, then in prison. — — —

INTRODUCTION. lix

AVhile these scenes were passing in the metropolis, the Borders were furiously agitated by civil discord. The families of Cessford and Fairnihirst disputed their right to the wardenry of the Middle

Marches, and to the provostry of Jedburgh ; and

William Kerr of Ancram, a follower of the latter, was murdered by the young chief of Cessford, at the instigation of his mother. Spottiswoode, p. 383.

But this was trifling, compared to the civil war waged on the western frontier, between the John- stons and Maxwells, of which there is a minute account in the introduction to the ballad, entitled,

" MaxwelVs Goodnight.'''' Prefixed to that termed

*' K'mmont WiU'ie^'' the reader will find an account of the last warden raids performed upon the Border. My sketch of Border history now draws to a close. The accession of James to the English crown converted the extremity into the centre of his kingdom.

says, " Let the queen hold Bothwell while she hath him."

MuRDiN, vol. II. p. 812. It appears from Creichton's Me- moirs, that Bothwell's grandson, though so nearly related to the royal family, actually rode a private in the Scottish horse guards, in the reign of Charles II. Edinburgh, 1731, p. 4a, —

Ix INTRODUCTION.

The East Marches of Scotland were, at this mo- mentous period, in a state of comparative civiliza- tion. The rich soil of Berwickshire soon invited the inhabitants to the arts of agriculture. Even in the days of Lesley, the nobles and barons of the

Merse differed in manners from the other Borderers, administered justice with regularity, and abstained from plunder and depredation. De morihus Scoto- rum, p. 7. But on the Middle and Western Marches, the inhabitants were unrestrained moss-troopers and cattle-drivers, knowing no measure of law, says Cam- den, but the length of their swords. The sterility of the mountainous country which they inhabited,

offered little encouragement to industry ; and, for

the long series of centuries which we have hastily

reviewed, the hands of rapine were never there folded

in inactivity, nor the sword of violence returned to

the scabbard. Various proclamations were in vain

issued for interdicting the use of horses and arms

upon the West Border of England and Scotland.*

* " Proclamation shall be made, that all inhabiting within " Tynedale and liiddesdale, in Northumberland ; Bewcustle- " dale, Willgavcy, the north part of Gilsland, Esk, and Leven, " in Cumberland; East and West Tividalc, Liddcsdalc, Esk- — — ;

INTllODUCTIOX. Ixi

The evil was found to require the rcadical cure of extirpation. Buccleuch collected under his banners the most desperate of the Border warriors, of whom he formed a legion, for the service of the states of

Holland, who had as much reason to rejoice on their arrival upon the continent, as Britain to congratu- late herself upon their departure. It may be pre- sumed, that few of this corps ever returned to their native country. The clan of Grseme, a hardy and ferocious set of freebooters, inhabiting chiefly the Debateable Land, by a very summary exertion of authority, was transported to Ireland, and their return prohibited under pain of death. Against other offenders, measures, equally arbitrary, were without hesitation pursued. Numbers of Border riders were executed, without even the formality of a trial

" clale^ Ewsdale, and Annerdale, in Scotland (saving noblemen " and gentlemen unsuspected of felony and theft, and not be- " ing of broken clans, and their household servants, dwelling " within those several places, before recited,) shall put away

" all armour and weapons, as well offensive as defensive, as " jacks, spears, lances, swords, daggers, steel-caps, hack-buts,

" pistols, plate sleeves, and such like ; and shall not keep any " horse, gelding, or mare, above the value of fifty shillings " sterling, or thirty pounds Scots, upon the like pain of im- " prisonment." Proceedings of the Border Commissioners, 1805 Introduction to History ofCtimberland, p. 127. Ixii INTRODUCTION.

and it is even said, that, in mockery of justice, as-

sizes were held upon them after tliey had suffered.

For these acts of tyranny, see Johnston, p. 374,

414, 39, 93. The memory of Dunbar''s legal pro-

ceedings at Jedburgh, are preserved in the prover-

bial phrase, Jeddart Justice, which signifies, trial

after execution.* By this rigour, though sternly

and unconscientiously exercised, the Border ma-

rauders were, in the course of years, either reclaim-

ed or exterminated ; though nearly a century elap-

sed ere their manners were altogether assimilated to

those of their countrymen. -j-

* A similar proverb in England of the same interpretation is Lydford Imw, derived from Lydford, a corporation in De- vonshire, where it seems the same irregular administration of justice prevailed. A burlesque copy of verses on this town begins,

I oft have heard of Lydford Law, How in the morn they hang and draw.

And sit in judgment after; See Westcott's History of Devonshire.

t See the acts 18 Cha. II. ch. 3. and 30 Cha. IL eh. 2. against the Border Moss-troopers, to which we may add the following curious extracts from Mercurius FoUticus, a news- paper, published during the usurpation. " Thumdcni, November 11, 1662. " Edinburgh.—Tlie Scotts and Moss-troopers liave again INTllODUCTION. Ixiii

In these hasty sketches of Border history, I have endeavoured to select such incidents, as may intro- duce to the reader the character of the Marchmen, more briefly and better than a formal essay upon their manners. If I have been successful in the at-

" revived tlieirold custom of robbing and murthering the Eng-

" lish, whether soldiers or other, upon all opportunities, with- " in these three weeks. We have had notice of several robbe- " ries and murders, committed by them. Among the rest, a " lieutenant, and one other of Col. Overton's regiment, return- " ing from England, were robbed not far from Dunbarr. A " lieutenant, lately master of the customs at Kirkcudbright,

" was killed about twenty miles from this place ; and four foot " soldiers of Col. Overton's were killed, going to their quar- " ters, by some mossers, who, after they had given them quar- " ter, tied their hands behind them, and then threw them

" down a steep hill, or rock, as it was related by a Scotch- " man, who was with them, but escaped." Ibidem.—" October 13, 1663.—The Parliament, October " 12, past an act, declaring, any person that shall discover any " felon, or felons (commonly called, or known, by the name " of Moss-troopers,) residing upon the Borders of England " and Scotland, shall have a reward of ten pound upon their " conviction." ;

Ixiv INTllOnUCTIOX.

tempt, lie is already acquainted with the mixture of courage and rapacity by which they were distinguished, and has reviewed some of the scenes in which they acted a principal part. It is, tliereforc, only necessary to notice, more minutely, some of their peculiar customs and modes of life.

Their morality was of a singular kind. The rapine, by which they subsisted, they accounted lawful and honourable. Ever liable to lose their whole substance, by an incursion of the English on a sudden breach of truce, they cared little to waste their time in cultivating crops to be reaped by their foes.

Their cattle was, therefore, their chief property and these were nightly exposed to the southern Bor- derers, as rapacious and active as themselves. Hence robbery assumed the appearance of fair reprisal. The fatal privilege of pursuing the maurauders into their own country, for recovery of stolen goods, led to continual skirmishes. The warden also, himself frequently the chieftain of a Border horde, when redress was not instantly granted by the opposite officer, for depredations sustained by his district, Avas entitled to retaliate upon England by a warden raid. —

INTRODUCTION. IxV

In such cases, the moss-troopers, who crowded to his standard, found themselves pursuing their craft under legal authority, and became the favourites and followers of the military magistrate, whose

ordinary duty it was to check and suppress them.

See the curious history of Geordie Bourne, App.

No. II. Equally unable and unwilling to make

nice distinctions, they were not to be convinced,

that what was to-day fair booty, w^as to-morrow a

subject of theft. National animosity usually gave

an additional stimulus to their rapacity ; althougli

it must be owned that their depredations extend-

ed also to the more cultivated parts of their own

country.*

Satchells, who lived when the old Border ideas

of meum and tuum were still in some force, endea-

vours to draw a very nice distinction betwixt a

* The armorial bearings, adopted by many of the Border tribes, shew how Uttle they were ashamed of their trade of rapine. Like Falstaff, they were " Gentlemen of the night, " minions of the moon," under whose countenance they committed their depredations.—Hence, the emblematic moons and stars so frequently charged in the arms of Border famiUes.

Their mottoes also bear an allusion to their profession : " Re- " parabitcornuaPhccbe," i.e. " We'Uhave moon-hght again,"

is that of the family of Harden. " Ye shall want, ere I want," that of Cranstoun. " Watch weel," of Haliburton, &c. ;

Ixvi TXTUODUCTIOX.

freebooter and a thief; and tlius sings he of the

Armstrongs :

that Border -was On the Amistrongs, able men ;

Somewhat unruly, and very ill to tame.

I would have none think that I call them thieves,

For, if I did, it would be arrant lies.

Near a Border frontier, in the time of war, There's ne'er a man but he's a freebooter.

Because to all men it may appear.

The freebooter he is a volunteer ;

In the muster-rolls he has no desire to stay ; He lives by purchase, he gets no pay.

It's most clear, freebooter doth hve in hazard's train a ;

A freebooter's a cavaher that ventures life for gain : But, since King James the Sixth to England went. There has been no cause of grief And he that hath transgress'd since then. Is no Freebooter, but a Thief. History of the Name of Scott.

The inhabitants of tlie inland counties did not

understand these subtle distinctions. Sir David

Lindsay, in the curious drama, published by INIr

Pinkerton, introduces, as one of his dramatis per-

sons. Common Thrft, a Borderer, who is supposed

to come to Fife to steal the Earl of Rothes"' best

hackney, and Lord Lindsay''s brown jennet. Op- pression, also (another personage there introduced), — ; ; —;

INTRODUCTION. Ixvii

seems to be connected with the Borders ; for, finding himself in danger, he exclaims,

War God that I were sound and haill. Now liftit into Liddesdail The IVIers sowld fynd me beif and caill.

What rack of breid ? War I thair lyftit with my lyfe. The devill sowld styk me with a knyflfe. An' ever I cmn agane in Fyfe,

Till I were deid.

Pinkertoh's Scottish Poems, vol. II. p. 180.

Again, when Common TMft is brovight to condign punishment, he remembers his Border friends in

his dying speech :

The widdefow wardanis tuik my geir, And left me nowthir horse nor meir. Nor erdly guid that me belangit

Now, walloway ! I mon be hangit.

Adew ! my bruthir Annan thieves.

That holpit me in my mischievis ;

Adew ! Grossars, Niksonis, and Bells,

Oft have we fairne owrthreuch the fells :

Adew ! Robsons, Howis, and PyHs,

That in our craft hes mony wilis :

LittUs, Trumbells, and Armestranges ;

Adew ! all theeves, that me belangis ; Baileowes, Erewynis, and Elwandis, Speedy of flicht, and sUcht of handis The Scotts of Eisdale, and the Gramis,

I haif na time to tell your nameis.

Jh. p. 156, !

Ixviii INTRODUCTION.

When Common Th'ifi is executed (which is performed upon the stage), Falset (Falsehood), who is also brought forth for punishment, pronounces over

him the following eulogy :

Waes me for thee, gude Common Thift Was never man made more honest chift.

His hving for to win : Thair wes not, in all Liddesdail, That ky mair craftelly could steil,

\^Tiar thou hingis on that pin ! II,. p. 194.

Sir Richard Maitland, incensed at the boldness and impunity of the thieves of Liddesdale in liis time, has attacked them with keen iambicks. His satire, which, I suppose, had very little effect at the time, forms No. III. of the Appendix to this In- troduction.

The Borderers had, in fact, little reason to regard the inland Scots as their fellow-subjects, or to respect the power of the Crown. They were frequently resigned, by express compact, to tlic bloody i-etaliation of the English, without experi- encing any assistance from their prince, and his more immediate subjects. If they beheld him, it was more frequently in the character of an aven- INTIIODUCTION. \xiX

ging judge, than of a protecting sovereign. They

were in truth, during the time of peace, a kind of

outcasts, against whom the united powers of Eng-

land and Scotland were often employed. Hence,

the men of the Borders had little attachment to

their monarchs, whom they termed, in derision, the

Kings of Fife and Lothian ; provinces which they

were not legally entitled to inhabit,* and which,

therefore, they pillaged with as little remorse as if

they had belonged to a foreign country. This

strange, precarious, and adventurous mode of life, led by the Borderers, was not without its plea- sures, and seems, in all probability, hardly so disagreeable to us, as the monotony of regulated society must have been to those who had been long accustomed to a state of rapine. Well has it been remarked, by the eloquent Burke, that the shifting

tides of fear and hope, the flight and pursuit, the peril and escape, alternate famine and feast, of the savage and the robber, after a time render all course of slow, steady, progressive, unvaried oc-

* By an act 1587, c. 96, Borderers are expelled from the inland counties, unless they can find security for their quiet deportment. —

IXX INTRODUCTION.

cupation, and the prospect only of a limited me-

diocrity, at the end of long labour, to the last de-

gree tame, languid, and insipid. The interesting

nature of their exploits may be conceived from the

account of Camden.

" What manner of cattle-stealers they are that

" inhabit these valleys in the jVIarches of both king-

" doms, John Lesley, a Scotchman himself, and

" Bishop of Ross, Avill inform you. They sally

" out of their own Borders, in the night, in troops,

" through unfreqviented bye-ways, and many in-

" tricate windings. All the day-time they refresh

" themselves and their horses in lurking lioles they

" had pitched upon before, till they arrive in the

" dai'k at those places they have a design upon.

" As soon as they have seized upon the booty,

^' they, in like manner, return home in the night,

" through blind Avays, and fetching many a com-

" pass. The more skilful any captain is to pass

" through those wild deserts, crooked turnings, and

" deep precipices, in the thickest mists and dark-

^' ness, his reputation is the greater, and he is

" looked upon as a man of an excellent head.

" And they are so very cunning, that they seldom INTRODUCTION. Ixxi

" have their booty taken from them, unless some-

" times, when, by the help of blood-hounds fol-

" lowing them exactly upon the track, they may

" chance to fall into the hands of their adversa-

" ries. When being taken, they have so much

" persuasive eloquence, and so many smooth insi-

" nuating words at command, that if they do not

" move their judges, nay, and even their adver-

" saries (notwithstanding the severity of their na-

" tures) to have mercy, yet they incite them to ad- " miration and compassion."— Camden's Britan-

nia. The reader is requested to compare this curious account, given by Lesley, with the ballad called Hobble Noble*

* The following tradition is also illustrative of Lesley's account. Veitch of Dawyk, a man of great strength and bravery^ who flourished in the 16th century, is said by tradition to have been upon bad terms with a neighbouring proprietor, Tweedie of Di-unimelzier. By some accident a flock of Dawyk's sheep had strayed over into Drummelzier's grounds, at the time when Dickie ofthe Den, a Liddesdale outlaw, was making his rounds in Tweeddale. Seeing this flock of sheep, he drove them off without ceremony. Next morning, Veitch, perceiving his loss, summoned his servants and retainers, laid a blood-hound upon the traces of the robber, by whom they were guided for many miles, till, on the banks of Liddel, the dog staid upon a very large hay-stack. The pursuers were a good deal surprised at the obstinate pause of the blood-hound, — —

Ixxii INTRODUCTION.

The inroads of the Marchers, when stimulated only by the desire of plunder, were never marked with cruelty, and seldom even Avith bloodshed, unless in the case of opposition. They held, that property was common to all who stood in want of it ; but they abhorred and avoided the crime of

unnecessary homicide. Lesley, p. G3. This was,

perhaps, partly owing to the habits of intimacy

betwixt the Borderers of both kingdoms, notwith-

standing their mutual hostility and reciprocal depredations. A natural intercourse took place between the English and Scottish Marchers, at Bor-

der meetings, and during the short intervals of

peace. They met frequently at parties of the

chace and football ; and it required many and

strict regulations, on both sides, to prevent them

from forming intermarriages, and from cultivating

too close a degree of intimacy. Scottish Acts, 1587,

till Dawyk pulled down some of the liay, and discovered a large excavation, containing the robbers and their spoil. He instantly flew upon Dickie, and was about to poniard him, when the marauder, with the addi-ess noticed by Lesley, pro- tested that he would never have touched a cloot (hoof) of them, had he not taken them for Drummelzier's property.

This dexterous appeal to \'eitch's passions saved the life of the free-booter. INTRODUCTION. Ixxiii

c. 105 ; Wharton's Regulations, 6th Edward VI.

The custom, also, of paying black-mail, or pro-

tection-rent, introduced a connection betwixt the

countries ; for a Scottish Borderer, taking black- mail from an English inhabitant, was not only

himself bound to abstain from injuring such per-

son, but also to maintain his quarrel, and recover

his property, if carried off by others. Hence, a

union rose betwixt the parties, founded upon

mutual interest, which counteracted, in many in-

stances, the effects of national prejudice. The si-

milarity of their manners may be inferred from

that of their language. In an old mystery, im-

printed at London, 1654, a mendicant Borderer is

introduced, soliciting alms of a citizen and his

wife. To a question of the latter he replies, " Sa-

" vying your honour, good maistress, I was born

" in Redesdale, in Northomberlande, and come of

" a wight riding sirname, calFd the Robsons : gude

" honeste men, and true, savyng a little shiftynge

" for theyr livyng ; God help them, silly pure

" men." The wife answers, " What doest thou

" here, in this countrie ? me thinke thou art a Scot

" by thy tongue.'"' Beggar.—" Trowe me never —

Ixxiv INTRODUCTION.

'* mair then, good deam ; I had rather be hanged

" in a withie of a eow-taile, for thei are ever fare

" and fause." Ajjpeyidia; to Johnsoii's Sad Shep- herd, 1783, p. 188. From the wife's observation, as well as from the dialect of the beggar, we may infer, that there was little difference between the

Northumbrian and the Border Scottish ; a circumstance interesting in itself, and decisive of the occasional friendly intercourse among the March- men. From all these combining circumstances arose the lenity of the Borderers in their incursions, and the equivocal moderation whicli they sometimes observed towards each other in open war.*

* This practice of the IMarchmen was observed and repro- bated by Patten. " Anoother manner have they {^the English " Borderers) amoong them, of wearyng handkerchers roll'd " about their amies, and lettres brouder'd {cnihruidered) upon " their cappes : they said themselves, the use thearof was that " ech of them might knowe his fellowe, and thearbye the soon- " er assemble, or in nede to ayd one another, and such lyke re- " spectes ; howbeit, thear wear of the army amoong us (some " suspicious men perchance) that thought thei used them for " collusion, and rather bycaus thei might be knowen to the " enemie, as the enemies are knowen to them (for thei have " theirmarkes too,) and so in conflict either ech to spare oother, " or gently echc to take oother. Indede, men have been mooved " the rather to thinkc so, bycaus sum of their crosses, {the Eiig- " lish red crosses) were so narrowc, and so singly set on, that — ;

INTRODUCTION. Ixxv

This humanity and moderation was, on certain occasions, entirely laid aside by the Borderers.

In the case of deadly feud, either against an Eng- lishman, or against any neighbouring tribe, the whole force of the offended clan was bent to avenge the death of any of their number. Their

" a puffe of wynde might blowe them from their breastes, and " that thai wear found right often talking with the Skottish " prikkers within less than their gad's {spears) length asunder " and when thei perceived thei had been espied, thei have be- " gun one to run at anoother, but so apparently perlassent (/« " parley) as the lookers on resembled their chasyng lyke the

" running at base in an uplondish toun, whear the match is " made for a quart of good ale, or hke the play in Robin Cookes

" scole {^afencing school,) whear, bycaus the punies mey lerne,

" thei strike fewe strokes but by assent and appointment. I f' hard sura men say, it chd mooch augment their suspicion ^' that wey, bycaus at the battail they sawe these prikkers so " badly demean them, more intending the taking of prisoners,

" than the surety of victorye ; for while oother men fought,

" thei fell to their prey ; that as thear wear but fewe of them " but brought home his prisoner, so wear thear many that had " six or seven." Patten's Account of Somerset's Expedition, ' apud Dalyeli/s Fragments, p. 76. It is singular that, about this very period, the same circumstances are severely animadverted upon by the strenuous Scot- tishraan, who wrote the Complaynt of Scotland, as well as by " the English author above quoted : There is nothing that is " occasione of your adhering to the opinion of Ingland contrair " your natife cuntre, hot the grit familiarite that Inghs men " and Scottes lies had on baith the Boirdours, ilk ane witht " utheris, in merchandeis, in selling and buying hors and nolt, " and scheip, outfang, and infang, ilk ane amang utheris, the —

Ixxvi INTRODUCTION.

vengeance not only vented itself upon tlie homicide

and his family, but upon all his kindred, on his

whole tribe ; and on every one, in fine, whose death

or ruin could affect him with regret. Lesley, p. 63;

Border Laxcs, passim ; Scottish Acts, 1594, c. 231.

The reader will find, in the following collection,

many allusions to this infernal custom, which al-

Avays overcame the Marcher's general reluctance to

shed human blood, and rendered him remorseless-

ly savage.

" whilk farailiarite is express contrar the laxiis and consuetutlis

" bayth of Ingland and Scotland. In auld tymis it was deter- " mit in the artikhs of the pace, be the twa wardanis of the " Boirdours of Ingland and Scotland, that there shuld be na " familiarite betwix Scottis men and Inglis men, nor marriage " to be contrakit betwix them, nor conventions on holydais at " gammis and plays, nor merchandres to be maid amang them,

" nor Scottis men till enter on Inglis gTond, -ivitht out the king

" of Ingland's save conduct, nor Inglis men til enter on Scottis " grond, wdtht out the King of Scotland's save conduct, how- " beit that ther war sure pace betwix the twa reahnes. Bot

" tliir sevyn yeir bygane, thai statutis and artiklis of the pace " are adnullit, for ther lies been as grit familiarite, and con- " ventions, and makyng of merchandreis, on the Boirdours,

" tliis lang tj-me betwix Inglis men and Scottis men, baytht in " pace and weir, as Scottismen usis amang theme selfis witht

" in the realme of Scotland : and sic familiarite has bene the " cause that the kyng of Ingland gat intelligence witht divers " gentlemen of Scotland." Giiiiplaynt of Sajflaiid, Edin. 1801, p. 16i. INTRODUCTION. Ixxvii

For fidelity to their word, Lesley ascribes high

praise to the inhabitants of the Scottish frontier.

Robert Constable (himself a traitorous spy) de-

scribes the outlaws, who were his guides into

Scotland, as men who would not hesitate to steal,

yet would betray no man tliat trusted in them,

for all the gold in Scotland or France. " They are

" my guides," said he ; " and outlaws who might

" gain their pardon by surrendering me, yet I am

" secure of theii* fidehty, and have often proved

" it." Indeed, when an instance happened of breach

of faith, the injured person, at the first Border

meeting, rode through the field, disjilaying a glove

(the pledge of faith) upon the point of his lance, and proclaiming the perfidy of the person who had

broken his word. So great was the indignation of

the assembly against the perjured criminal, that he

was often slain by his own clan, to wipe out the

disgrace he had brought on them. In the same

spirit of confidence, it was not unusual to behold

the victors, after an engagement, dismiss their pri-

soners upon parole, who never failed either to

transmit the stipulated ransom, or to surrender

themselves to bondage, if unable to do so. But —

Ixxviii INTllODUCTIOX. the virtues of a barbarous people, being founded, not upon moral principle, but upon the dreams of superstition, or the capricious dictates of ancient custom, can seldom be uniformly relied on. We must not, therefore, be surprised to find these very men, so true to their word in general, using, upon other occasions, various resources of cunning and chicane, against which the Border Laws were in vain directed.

The immediate rulers of the Borders were the chiefs of the different clans, who exercised over their respective septs a dominion partly patriarchal, and partly feudal. The latter bond of adlierence was, however, the more slender ; for, in the acts regulating the Borders, we find repeated mention of " Clannes having captaines and chieftaines,

" whom on they depend, oft-times against the

" willes of their landeslordes." Stat. 1587, c. 95, and the Roll thereto annexed. Of course, these laws looked less to the feudal superior than to the chieftain of the name, for the restraint of the dis-

orderly tribes ; and it is rej^eatedly enacted, that the head of the clan should be first called upon to deliver those of his sept, who should commit any INTRODUCTION. Ixxix trespass, and that, on his failure to do so, he should be liable to the injured party in full redress. Ihi- dcyn, and Stat. 1574, c. £31. By the same statutes, the chieftains and landlords, presiding over

Border clans, were obliged to find caution, and to grant hostages, that they would subject themselves

to the dvie course of law. Such clans, as had no chieftain of sufficient note to enter bail for their quiet conduct, became broken men, outlawed to both nations.

From these enactments, the power of the Bor-

der chieftains may be conceived ; for it had been hard and useless to have punished them for the trespasses of their tribes, unless they possessed over them unlimited authority. The abode of these petty princes by no means corresponded to the extent of their power. We do not find, on the Scottish Borders, the splendid and extensive baronial castles which graced and defended the opposite frontier. The Gothic grandeur of Aln-

wick, of Raby, and of Naworth, marks the weal-

thier and more secure state oi' the English nobles.

The Scottish chieftain, however extensive his domains, derived no advantage, save from such parts IxXX INTRODUCTION.

as he could himself cultivate or occupy. Payment

of rent was hardly known on the Borders, till after the Union.* All that the landlord could ^"ain,

from those residing upon his estate, was their personal service in battle, their assistance in labouring

the land retained in his natural possession, some

petty quit rents, of a nature resembling the feudal

casualties, and perhaps a share in the spoil which they acquired by rapine.-f- This, with his herds

of cattle and of sheep, and with the hlacli-mcnl

which he exacted from his neighbours, constituted

the revenue of the chieftain ; and, from funds so

precarious, he could rarely spare sums to expend

in strengthening or decorating his habitation. An-

other reason is found, in the Scottish mode of war-

fare. It was early discovered, that the English

* Stowe, in detailing the happy consequences of the union of the crowns, observes, " that the Northerne Borders became " as safe, and peaceable, as any part of the entire kingdome, " so as in the fourthe year of the King's reigne, as well gentle- " men and others, inhabiting the places aforesayde, finding the " auncient wast ground to be very good and fruitefuU, began then, " to contende in lawe about their bounds, challenging dis- " that for their herecUtarie right, which formerly they " avowed, only to avoyde charge of common defence." they t " As for the humours of the people, («. e. of Teviotdale, ) " were both strong and warlike, as being inured to war, and —

INTRODUCTION. Ixxxi

surpass their neighbours in the arts of assaulting

or defending fortified places. The policy of the

Scottish, therefore, deterred them from erecting

upon the Borders buildings of such extent and

strength, as, being once taken by the foe, would

have been capable of receiving a permanent gar-

rison.* To themselves, the woods and hills of

their country were pointed out by the great Bruce,

as their safest bulwarks ; and the maxim of the

Douglasses, that " it was better to hear the lark

" sing, than the mouse cheep," was adopted by

every Border chief. For these combined reasons,

the residence of the chieftain was commonly a

" daily incursions, and the most part of the heritors of the " country gave out all their lands to their tenants, for military " attendance, upon rentals, and reserved only some few manses " for their own sustenance, which were laboured by their te- " nants, besides their service. They paid an entry, a herauld,

" and a small rental-duty ; for there were no rents raised here *' that were considerable, tUl King James went into England ; " yea, all along the Border." Account of Roxbu7'ghshire, by Sir WilUani Scott ofHarden, and Kcir ofSmilaws, apud 3Iac- farlane's MSS. * The royal castles of Roxburgh, Hermitage, Lochmahen, &c., form a class of exceptions to this rule, being extensive and well fortified. Perhaps we ought also to except the baronial castle of Home. Yet, in liSS, the following petty garrisons

were thought sufficient for the protection of the Border ; two hundred spearmen, and as many archers, upon the East and

VOL. I. f —

IxXXii IXTIJODTTCTIOX. large square battlemented * tower, called a ^eep^

or peel ; placed on a precipice, or on the banks of a torrent, and, if the ground would permit, siu'- rounded by a moat. In short, the situation of a

Border house, surrounded by woods, and rendered almost inaccessible by torrents, by rocks, or by morasses, sufficiently indicated the pursuits and ap- prehensions of its inhabitants.—" Locus horroris et

'*• vaster solitudinis, aptus adj)rcvdam, hahUis adrd-

'' pinam, hahifatoribus sids hqns erat off'cnsionis et

" petra scandal'i, ufpotc qui stipntdiis su'is minime

" rnntcnti,totum dc cdicnojiarum de si(0,poss'idchant

Middle Marches ; and one hundred spears, with a hke ninnber of bowmen, upon the Western jNIarches. But then the same statute provides, " That they are neare hand the Bordoure, " are ordained to have gud househaldes, and abulzied men as

" efFeiris : and to be redthe at their principal jdace, and to " pass, with the wardanes, quhen and tpdiair they sail be " charged." Act of James II., cap. 55, Ofgarrisons to hi' laid iijion the Borders.—Hence Buchanan has justly described, as an attribute of the Scottish nation,

" Necfossis, nee nuiris, patriam, sed Marte tueri."

* I have observed a difference in architecture betwixt the Enghsh and Scottish towers. The latter usually have upon the to a projecting battlement, with interstices, anciently called machicoulcs, betwixt the parapet and the wall, through whicli stones or darts might be hurled upon the assailants. This

kind of fortification is less common on the South Border. —

INTRODUCTION. IxXXui

" —totitts provinc'ice spolhtm.'''' No wonder, there- foi'e, that James V., on approaching the castle of

Lochwood, the ancient seat of the Johnstones, is said to have exclaimed, " that he who built it must have

" been a knave in his heart." An outer wall, with some slight fortifications, served as a protection for the cattle at night. The walls of these fortresses

were of an immense thickness, and they could easily

be defended against any small force ; more espe-

cially, as, the rooms being vaulted, each storey

formed a separate lodgement, capable of being

held out for a considerable time. On such occa-

sions, the usual mode adopted by the assailants,

was to expel the defenders, by setting fire to wet

straw in the lower apartments. But the Border

chieftains seldom chose to abide in person a siege

of this nature ; and I have not observed a single

instance of a distinguished baron made prisoner in

his own house.* Patten's Expedition, p. ^5.

The common people resided in paltry huts, about

the safety of which they were little anxious, as they

contained nothing of value. On the appi'oach of

" I ought to except the famous Dand Ker, who was made

prisoner in his castle of Fairnihirst, after defending it bravely against Lord Dacres, 24th September, 1523. —

Ixxxiv INTRODXJCTION.

a superior force, they unthatclied them, to prevent

theii- being burned, and then abandoned them to

the foe. Stowe's Chronicle, p. (6^. Their only

treasures were, a fleet and active horse, with the

ornaments which their rapine had procured for the

females of their family, of whose gay appearance

the Borderers were vain. Some rude monuments occur upon the Borders,

the memorial of ancient valour. Such is the Cross

at Milholm, on the banks of the Liddle, said to

have been erected in memory of the Chief of tlie

Armstrongs, murdered treacherously by Lord Sou-

lis, while feasting in Hermitage castle. Such also,

a rude stone, now broken, and very much defaced,

placed upon a mount on the lands of Haugh-head,

near the junction of the Kale and Teviot. The

inscription records the defence made by Hobbie

Hall, a man of great strength and courage, against

an attempt of the powerfid family of Ker, to pos-

sess themselves of his small estate.*

* The rude strains of the inscription Uttle correspond with the gallantry of a

village Hampden, who, with dauntless breast,

The little tyrant of his fields withstood. INTRODITCTION. IxxXV

The same simplicity marked their dress and

arms. Patten observes, that in battle the laird

could not be distinguished from the serf; all wear-

ing the same coat-armour, called a jack, and the baron being only distinguished by his sleeves of

mail and his head-piece. The Borderers, in ge-

neral, acted as light cavalry, riding horses of a

small size, but astonishingly nimble, and trained

to move, by short bounds, through the morasses

with which Scotland abounds. Their offensive

weapons were a lance of uncommon length ; a

sword, either two-handed, or of the modern light

size ; sometimes a species of battle-axe, called a

Jedburgh-staff ; and, latterly, dags, or pistols. Al-

though so much accustomed to act on horseback,

that they held it even mean to appear otherwise,

It is in these words :

Here Hobbie Hall boldly maiiUained his right, 'Gainst reif, plain force, armed wi' awles might. Full thirty pleughs, harnes'd in all their gear.

Could not his valiant noble heart make fear ! But wi' his sword he cut the foremost's soam

In two ; and drove baith pleughs and pleughmen home. 1620.

Soufji means the iron links, which fasten a yoke of oxen to the plough. IxXXvi INTRODUCTION.

the Mai'chmen occasionally acted as infantry ; nor were they inferior to the rest of Scotland in forming that impenetrable phalanx of spears, whereof it is said, by an English historian, that " sooner

" shall a bare finger pierce through the skin of an

" angry hedge-hog, than any one encovinter the

" brunt of their pikes." At the battle of Melrose, for example, Buccleuch's army fought upon foot.

But the habits of the Borderers fitted them parti-

cularly to distinguish themselves as light cavalry ; and hence the name of prickers and hobylers, so frequently applied to them. At the blaze of their beacon fires, they were wont to assemble ten thousand horsemen in the course of a single day. Thus rapid in their warlike preparations, they were alike ready for attack and defence. Each individual carried his ov/n provisions, consisting of a small bag of oatmeal, and trusted to plunder, or the chace, for ekeing out his precarious meal. Beaugc remarks, that nothing surprised the Scottish cavalry so much as to see their French auxiliaries encumbered with baggage-waggons, and attended by commissaries. Before joining battle, it seems to have been the Scottish practice to set fire to the INTRODUCTION. Ixxxvii

litter of their camp, while, under cover of the smoke, the hohylers, or Border cavalry, executed their manceuvres.—Thei-e is a curious account of the battle of Mitton, fought in the year 1319, in a valuable MS. Chronicle of' England, in the collection of the Marquis of Douglas, from which this stratagem seems to have decided the engagement. " In meyn time, while the wer thus lastyd,

" the kyngc went agane into Skotlondc, that hitte

" was wonder for to wette, and bysechd the towne

" of Barwick ; but the Skottes went over the water

'"• of Sold, that was iii myle from the hoste, and

" prively they stole away by nyghte, and come

" into England, and robbed and destroyed all that

" they myght, and spared no manner thing til thai

" they come to Yorke. And, whan the Englische-

" men, that wei-e left at home, herd this tiding,

" all tho that myght well travell, so well monkys

" and priestis, and freres, and chanouns, and secu-

" lars, come and met with the Skottes at Mytone

*•' of Swale, the xii day of October. Alias, for " sorrow for the Englischemen ! housbondmen,

" that could nothing in wer, ther were quelled and

" drenchyd in an arm of the see. And hyr chyf-

'' laines. Sir William Milton, Ersch -bishop of Ixxxviii INTUODUCTION.

*' Yorke, and the Abbot of Selby, with her stedes,

" fled and come into Yorke ; and that was her

** o^vne folye that they had that mischaunce ; for

" the passyd the water of Swale, and the Skottes

^ set on fiir three stalkes of hey, and the smoke

" thereof Avas so huge, that the Englischemen

" might not see the Scottes ; and whan the Eng-

" lischemen were gon over the water, tho came the

" Skottes, with hir w^ng, in maner of a sheld, and

" come toward the Enghschemen in ordour. And

^* the Englischemen fled for unnetlie they liad

" any use of armes, for the kyng had hem al al-

" most lost att the sege of Barwick. And the

" Scotsmen hohylers Avent betAAene the brigge and

" the Englischemen ; and Avhen the gret hoste

" them met, the Englischemen fled betAveen the

" hohylers and the gret hoste ; and the Englische-

" men Aver ther quelled, and he that myght Avend

'* over the AA^ater Avere saved, but many Avere drown-

" ed. Alas ! for there were slayn many men of

" religion, and seculars, and priestis, and clerks,

" and Avith much sorAve the Erschbischope scaped

" from the Skottes ; and, therefore, the Skottes

" called that battel the White Bafteli:'

For smaller predatory expeditions, the Borderers INTRODUCTION. Ixxxix

had signals, and places of rendezvous, peculiar to

each tribe. If the party set forward before all the

members had joined, a mark, cut in the turf, or on

the bark of a tree, pointed out to the stragglers, the direction which the main body had piu*sued.*

Their warlike convocations were, also, frequently disguised, under pretence of meetings for the purpose of sport. Tlie game of foot-ball, in particular, which was anciently, and still continues to be, a favourite Border sport, was the means of collecting together large bodies of moss-troopers, previous to any military exploit. When Sir Robert

Carey was warden of the East Marches, the knowledge that there was a great match at foot-ball at

Kelso, to be frequented by the principal Scottish riders, was sufficient to excite his vigilance and his apprehension. Previous also to the of -f- murder Sir John Carmichael (see Notes on the Raid of the

* In the parish of Linton, in Roxburghshire, there is a circle of stones, surrounding a smooth plot of turf, called the Tryst, or place of appointment, which tradition avers to have been the rendezvous of the neighbouring warriors. The name of the leader was cut in the turf, and the arrangement of the letters announced to his followers the course which he had taken. See Statistical Account of the Parish oj Linton. t Sec Appendix. XC INTRODUCTION.

Reidszvirc,) it appeared at the trial of the perpetra-

tors, tliat they had assisted at a grand foot-ball meeting, where the crime was concerted.

Ujion the religion of the Borderers there can very little be said. We have already noticed, that they remained attached to the Roman Catholic faith rather longer than the rest of Scotland. Thi> probably arose from a total indifference upon the subject ; for we no where find in their character the respect for the church, which is a marked fea- ture of that religion. In 1528, Lord Dacre complains heavily to Cardinal Wolscy, that, having taken a notorious freebooter, called Dyk Irwen, the brother and friends of the outlaw had, in retaliation, seized a man of some property, and a relation of Lord Dacre, called Jeffrey Middleton, as he returned from a pilgrimage to St Ninian's, in

Galloway ; and that, notwithstanding the sanctity of his character as a true 2)i/ffrim, and the Scottish monarch's safe conduct, they continued to detain him in their fastnesses, until he should redeem the baid arrant thief, Dyk Irwen. The abbeys, which were planted upon the Border, neither seem to have been much respected by the English, nor by the Scottish barons. They were repeatedly burn- INTRODUCTION. XCl ed by the former, in the course of the Border wars, and by the latter they seem to have been regarded chiefly as the means of endowing a needy relation, or the subject of occasional plunder. Thus, An- drew Home of Fastcastle, about 1488, attempted to procure a perpetual feu of certain possessions

belonging to the Abbey of Coldinghame ; and being baffled, by the King bestowing that opulent be- nefice upon the royal chapel at Stirling, the Humes

and Hepburns started into rebellion ; asserting, that the priory should be conferred upon some younger son of their families, according to ancient custom. After the fatal battle of Flodden, one of the Kers testified his contempt for clerical im- munities and privileges, by expelling from bis house the Abbot of Kelso. These bickerings betwixt the clergy and the barons were usually excited by disputes about their temporal interest. It was common for the churchmen to grant lands in feu to the neighbouring gentlemen, who, becoming their vassals, were bound to assist and protect them.* But, as the possessions and revenues of

* These vassals resembled, in some degree, the Vidamcs in France, and the Vogten, or Vizedomen, of the German abbeys; XCll INTKODUCTION. the benefices became thus interniixed with those of the laitv, any attempts rigidly to enforce the claims of the church were usually attended by the most scandalous disputes. A petty warfare was carried on for years, betwixt James, Abbot of Dry- burgh, and the family of Halliburton of Mertoun, or Newmains, who held some lands from that abbey. These possessions were, under various pre- texts, seized and laid waste by both parties ; and some bloodshed took place in the contest, betwixt the lay vassals and their spiritual superior. The matter was, at length, thought of sufficient importance to be terminated by a reference to his Ma-

jesty ; whose decree arbitral, dated at Stirling, the " 8th of May, 1535, proceeds thus : Whereas we, " having been advised and knowing the said gen-

" tlemen, the Halliburtons, to be leal and true

" honest men, long sei-\'ants unto the saide ab-

" beye, for the saide landis, stout men at armes,

" and goode Borderers against Ingland ; and doe

" therefore decree and ordain, that they sail be

but the system was never carried regularly into effect in Bri- tain, and this circumstance facilitated the diswlution of the religious houses. —

INTRODITCTIOX. XCUl

" repossessed, and bruik and enjoy the landis and

" steadings they had of the said abbeye, paying

" the use and wonte : and that tliey sail be goodc

" servants to the said venerabil father, like as they

" and their predecessours were to the said venera-

" bil father, and his predecessours, and he a good

" master to them." * It is unnecessary to detain

the reader with otlier instances of the discord, Avhicli

prevailed anciently upon the Borders, betwixt the

spiritual shepherd and his untractable flock.

The Reformation was late of finding its way in-

to the Border wilds ; for, while the religious and

civil dissentions were at the height in 1568, Drury

* This decree was followed by a marriage betwixt the abbot's daughter, Ehzabeth Stewart, and Walter Halliburton, one of the family of Newmains. But even tliis alliance did not secure peace between the venerable father and his vassals. The offspring of the marriage was an only daughter, named Eliza- beth HalHburton. As this young lady was her father's heir, the Halliburtons resolved that she should marry one of her cousins, to keep her property in the clan. But as this did not suit the views of the abbot, he carried off by force the intended bride, and married her, at Stirling, to Alexander Erskine, a brother of the Laird of Balgony, a relation and follower of his own. From this marriage sprmig the Erskines of Shielfield. This exploit of the abbot revived the feud betwixt him and the Halliburtons, which only ended with the dissolution of the abbey. MS, Histoni of HaUihurton Family, penes editoj-em. ;

XCIV INTRODUCTION. writes to Cecil,—" Our trvisty neighbours of Te-

" viotdale are lioklen occupied only to attend to

" the pleasure and calling of their own heads, to

•' make some diversion in this matter." The influence of the reformed preachers, among the Bor- ders, seems also to have been but small ; for, upon all occasions of dispute with the kirk, James VI. was wont to call in their assistance.—Calberwood, p. 129.

We learn from a curious passage in the life of

Richard Cameron, a fanatical preacher during the time of what is called the " persecution,"" that some of the Borderers retained to a late period their indifference about religious matters. After having been licensed at Haughhead, in Teviotdale, he was, according to his biographer, sent first to preach in Annandale. " He said, ' how can I go

" there ? I know what sort of people they are.'

" ' But,"" Mr Welch said, ' go your way, Ritchie,

" and set the fii-e of hell to their tails.' He w ent

" and, the first day, he pi-cached upon that text,

" How shall I put thee among the children, &c. In

*' the application, he said, ' Put you among the " children ! the offspring of thieves and robbers ! —

INTRODUCTION. XCV

" we have all heard of Annandale thieves." Some

" of them got a merciful cast that day, and told

" afterwards, that it was the first field-meeting they

" ever attended, and that they went out of mere

" curiosity, to see a minister preach in a tent, and

" people sit on the ground." Life of Richard Cameron. *

Cleland, an enthusiastic Cameronian, lieutenant- colonel of the i-egiment levied after the Revolution from among that wild and fanatical sect, claims to the wandering preachers of his tribe the merit of converting the Borderers. He introduces a cavalier haranguing the Highlanders, and ironically thus guarding them against the fanatic divines :

If their doctrine there get rooting. Then, farewell theift, the best of booting.

And this ye see is very clear,

Dayly experience makes it appear ; For instance, lately on the Borders, Where there was nought but theft and murders, Rapine, cheating, and resetting. Slight of hand, and fortunes getting.

* This man was chaplain in the family of Sir Walter Scott of Harden, who attended the meetings of the indulged Presby- terians; but Cameron, considering this conduct as a compro- mise with the foul fiend Episcopacy, was dismissed from the family. He was slain in a skirmish at Airdsmoss, bequeathing his name to the sect of fanatics still called Cameronians. ;

XCVl IXTRODUCTFOX.

Their designation, as ye ken^ Was all along the Tacking Men. Now, rebels more prevails with words, Than drawgoons does with guns and .swords. So that their bare preaching now Makes the rush-bush keep the cow Better than Scots or English kings Could do by kilting them with strings. Yea, those that were the greatest rogues. Follows them over liiUs and bogues. Crying for mercy and for preaching. For they'll now hear no others teaching."

Cleland's Poems, 1697, p. 30.

The poet of the AMiigs might exaggerate the

success of their teachers ; yet it must be owned, that the doctrine of insubordination, joined to tlieir vagrant and lawless habits, was calculated strongly to conciliate tlieir Border hearers.

But, though the church, in the Border counties, attracted little veneration, no part of Scotland teemed with superstitious fears and obsenances more than they did. " The Dalesmen," * says

Lesley, " never count their beads with such ear-

* An epithet bestowed upon the Borderers, from the names of the various districts ; as Tiviotdale, Liddesdale, Eskdale, Ewsdale, Annandale, &'c. Hence, an old ballad distinguishes the north as the country,

" Where every river gives name to a dale." Kr-uJc-iafion of Ale. INTRODUCTION. XCVll

" nestness as when they set out upon a predatory

" expedition." Penances, the composition betwixt guilt and conscience, were also frequent upon the

Borders. Of this we have a record in many be- quests to the church, and in some more lasting monuments ; such as the Tower of Repentance, in Dumfries-shire, and, according to vulgar tradition, the church of Linton,* in Roxburghshire.

In the Appendix to this Introduction, No. IV., the reader will find a curious league, or treaty of peace betwixt two hostile clans, by which the heads of each became bound to make the four pilgrimages of Scotland, for the benefit of the souls of those of the opposite clan, who had fallen in the feud. These were superstitions, flowing im-

* This small church is founded upon a little hill of sand, in which no stone of the size of an egg is said to have been found, although theneighbouringsoilis sharp and gravelly. Tradition accounts for this, by informing us, that the foundresses were two sisters, upon whose account much blood had been spilt in that spot ; and that the penance imposed on the fair causers of the slaughter, was an order from the Pope to sift the sand of the hill, upon which their church was to be erected. This story may, perhaps, have some foundation ; for, in the churchyard was discovered a single grave, containing no fewer than fifty skulls, most of which bore the marks of having been cleft by violence.

VOL. I. g ;

XCVm INTKODUCTION.

mediately from the nature of the CathoHc reli-

gion : but there was, upon the Border, no lack of

others of a more general nature. Such was the

universal belief in spells, of which some traces

may yet remain in the wild parts of the country.

These were connnon in the time of the learned

Bishop Nicolson, who derives them from tlie time af the Pagan Danes. " This conceit was the more

" heightened, by reflecting upon the natural su-

" perstition of our Borderers at this day, who were

" much better acquainted with, and do more firm-

" ly believe, their old legendary stories, of fairies

" and witches, than the articles of their creed.

*' And to convince me, yet farther, that they are

" not utter strangers to the black art of their fore-

" fathers, I met with a gentleman in the neigh-

" bourhood, who shewed me a book of spells and

" magical receipts, taken, two or three da3's be-

" fore, in the pocket of one of our moss-troopers

" wherein, among many other conjuring feats, was

" prescribed a certain remedy for an ague, by ap-

" plying a few barbarous characters to the body

" of the party distempered. These, methought,

'* were very near a-kin to Wornuus's Ram RuncTy — —

INTRODUCTION. XCIX

" which, he says, differed wholly in figui-e and

" shape from the common runcc. For, though he

" tells us tliat these Ram Rune?- were so called, " Eo

" quod molestias, doloj-es, ynorbosque liisce mfligcrc,

" inimicissoUti sunt magi ; yet his great friend, Arng.

" Jonas, more to our purpose, says, that His

" etiam usi sunt ad henefaciendum,juvandum, medi-

*' candum tarn animi quam corporis morhis; atquc ad

" ipsos cacodamoncs peUeiidos ctjiigandos. I shall

" not trouble you with a draught of this spell, be-

" cause I have not yet had an opportunity of learn-

" ing whether it may not be an ordinary one, and

*' to be met with, among others of the same na-

" ture, in Paracelsus, or Cornelius Agrippa."

LetterJ^'rom Bishop Nicolson to Mr Walker ; vide

Camdens Britannia, Cumberland. Even in the

editors younger days, he can remember the cxn-

rency of certain spells, for curing sprains, burns,

or dislocations, to which popular credulity ascrilied

imfailing efficacy.* Charms, however, against spi-

» Among these may be reckoned the supposed influence of Irish earth, in curing the poison of adders, or other venomous reptiles.—This virtue is extended by popular credulity to the natives, and even to the animals, of Hibernia. A gentleman, bitten by some reptile, so as to occasion a great swelling, seri- C INTRODUCTION.

ritual enemies, were yet more common than those

intended to cure corporeal complaints. This is not

surprising, as a fantastic remedy well suited an ima-

ginary disease.

There were, upon the Borders, many consecra-

ted wells, for resorting to which the people's cre-

dulity is severely censured by a worthy physician

of the seventeenth century, who himself beheved

in a shower of living herrings having fallen near

Dumfries. " Many run superstitiously to other

" wells, and there obtain, as they imagine, health

" and advantage ; and there they offer bread and

" cheese, or money, by throwing them into the

" well." In another part of the MS. occurs the

following passage : "In the bounds of the lands

" of Eccles, belonging to a lyneage of the name

*' of Maitland, there is a loch called the Dowloch,

" of old resorted to with much superstition, as me-

" dicinal both for men and beasts, and that with

" such ceremonies, as are shrewdli/ suspected to have

" been begun with witchcraft, and mcreased after-

" ward by magical directions : For, burying of a

ously assured the editor, that he ascribed his cure to putting the affected finger into the mouth of an Irish mare. 2 —

INTRODUCTION. CJ

" cloth, or somewhat that did relate to the bodies

" of men and women, and a shackle, or tether,

*' belonging to cow or horse, and these being cast

*' into the loch, if they did float, it was taken for

" a good omen of recovery, and a part of the wa-

" ter carried to the patient, though to remote pla-

" ces, without saluting or speaking to any they

" met by the way ; but, if they did sink, the re-

" covery of the party was hopeless. This custom

" was of late much curbed and restrained ; but

" since the discovery of many medicinal fountains

" near to the place, the vulgar, holding that it

" may be as medicinal as these are, at this time

" begin to re-assume their former practice." Ac- count of Presbytery of Penpont, in Macfarlane''s MSS.

The idea, that the spirits of the deceased return to haunt the place, where on earth they have suffered, or have rejoiced, is, as Dr Johnson has observed, common to the popular creed of all nations. The just and noble sentiment, implanted in our bosoms by the Deity, teaches us that we shall not slumber for ever, as the beasts that perish.

Human vanity, or credulity, chequers, with its Cll INTKODUCTION. own inferior and base colours, the noble prospect, which is alike held out to us by philosophy and by religion. We feel, according to the ardent expression of the poet, that Ave shall not wholly

die ; but from hence we vainly and Meakly argue, tli;it the same scenes, the same passions, shall de- light and actuate the disembodied spirit, which affected it while in its tenement of clay. Hence the popular belief, that the soul haunts the spot

where the murdered body is interred ; that its ap- pearances are directed to bring down vengeance

on its murderers ; or that, having left its terres- trial form in a distant clime, it glides before its former friends, a pale spectre, to warn them of its decease. Such tales, the foimdation of which is an argument from our present feelings to those of the h^piritual world, form the broad and universal basis of the popular superstition regarding depart-

ed spirits ; against which, reason has striven in vain, and universal experience has offered a disre- garded testimony. These legends are peculiarly acccj)tablc to barbarous tribes; and, on the Bor- ders, thev were received with most unbounded faith. It is true, that these supernatural adversa- IKTllODUCTION. cm ries were no longer opposed by the sword and bat-

tle-axe, as among the unconverted Scandinavians.

Prayers, spells, and exorcisms, particularly in the

Greek and Hebrew languages, were the weapons

of the Borderers, or rather of their priests and cun-

ning men, against their aerial enemy.* The be-

* One of the most noted apparitions is supposed to haunt Spedlin's Castle near Lochmaben, the ancient baronial residence of the Jardines of Applegirth. It is said, that, in exercise of his territorial jurisdiction, one of the ancient lairds had imprisoned, in the Massy More, or dungeon of the castle, a person named Porteous. Being called suddenly to Edinburgh,

the laird discovered, as he entered the West Port, tliat he had brought along with him the key of the dungeon. Struck with the utmost horror, he sent back his servant to relieve the pri-

soner ; but it was too late. The wretched being was found lying upon the steps descending from the door of the vault, starved to death. In the agonies of hunger, he had gnawed the flesh from one of his arms. That his spectre should haunt the castle, was a natural consequence of such a tragedy. In- deed its visits became so frequent, that a clergyman of emi-

nence was employed to exorcise it. After a contest of twenty- four hours, the man of art prevailed so far as to confine the goblin to the Massy More of the castle, where its shrieks and cries are still heard. A part, at least, of the spell, depends upon the preservation of the ancient black-lettered Bible, employed by the exorcist. It was some years ago thought neces-

sary to have this Bible re-bound ; but, as soon as it was removed from the castle, the spectre commenced his nocturnal or-

gies, with ten-fold noise ; and it is verily beheved that he would have burst from his confinement, had not the sacred volume been speedily replacecL

A Mass John Scott, minister of Peebles, is reported to have CIV INTRODUCTION.

lief in ghosts, which has been well termed the last

lingering phantom of superstition, still maintains

its ground upon the Borders.

It is unnecessary to mention the superstitious

belief in witchcraft, which gave rise to so much

cruelty and persecution during the seventeenth

century. There were several executions upon the

Borders for this imaginary crime, which was usu-

ally tried not by the ordinary judges, but by a set

been the last renowned exerciser, and to have lost his life in a contest with an obstinate spirit. This was owing to the con- ceited rashness of a young clergyman, who commenced the ceremony of laying the ghost before the arrival of ^lass John.

It is the nature, it seems, of spirits disembodied, as well as embodied, to increase in strength and presumption, in proportion to the advantages which they may gain over the opponent. The young clergynnan losing courage, the horrors of the scene were increased to such a degree, that, as JIass John approach-

ed the house in which it passed, he beheld the slates and tiles flying from the roof, as if dispersed with a whirlwind. At his entry, he perceived all the wax-tapers (the most essential instruments of conjuration) extinguished, except one, wliich already burned blue in the socket. The arrival of the experienced sage changed the scene : he brought the spirit to reason ; but unfortunately, while addressing a word of advice or cen- sure to his rash brother, he permitted the ghost to obtain the lait word; a circumstance which, in all colloquies of this nature, is strictly to be guarded against. This fatal oversight occasioned his falling into a lingering disorder, of which he never recovered. A curious poem, upon the laying of a ghost, forms article No. V. of the Appendix. INTRODUCTION. CV

of country gentlemen, acting under counnission

from the Privy Council.*

Besides these gi'and articles of superstitious be-

lief, the creed of the Borderers admitted the exist-

ence of sundry classes of subordinate spirits, to

whom were assigned peculiar employments. The

chief of these were the Fairies, concerning whom

the reader will find a long dissertation in Volume

Second. The Brownie formed a class of beings,

distinct in habit and disposition from the freakish

and mischievous elves. He was meagre, shaggy,

and wild in his appearance. Thus Cleland, in his

satire against the Highlanders, compares them to

" FauneSj or Brownies, if ye will. Or Satyres come from Atlas Hill."

In the day time, he lurked in remote recesses of

the old houses which he delighted to haunt ; and,

in the night, sedulously employed himself in dis-

chai-ging any laborious task which he thought

might be acceptable to the family, to whose ser-

vice he had devoted himself. His name is pro-

* I have seen, penes Hugh Scott, Esq. of Harden, the record of the trial of a witch, who was burned at Ducovc. She was tried in the manner above mentioned. ;

CM INTllODUCTION. bably derived from the Porfum, whom Gervase

of Tilbury describes thus : " Ecce cn'ivi in Anglia

" dcemones quosdam habent, dccmones, inquam,'nescio

" dixerim,an secrekeet ignotcv gencrationis effigies, " quos GaUi Neptunos, AngU Portunos nominant.

" Istis insitnm est quod simj)licitatem fortunatorum " eolonori(mamplectuntur,£t cum nodm-naspropter

'''domesticasopei-cisagunttigilios,suhitoclmisisjanids

" ad ignem califiunt, et ranunculas eoc sinuprojectas,

'* prunisimjyositasconcedunt, senili vultii^ciciecorru-

'* g-ata, statura pusilli, diviidiiivi poUicis nan huben-

" tes. Panniculis conccrtis induuntttr, et si qiiidges-

" iandum indomoj'uerit^autonerosioperis agendum,

" ad operandum sejungunt citius liumanafacilitate

" expedient. Id illis insitiim est, ut obsequipossinf et

" obesse 7ion possiiit.''''—Otia. Imp. p. 980. In every respect, saving only the feeding upon frogs, which was probably an attribute of the Gallic spirits alone, the above description corresponds with that of the

Scottish Brownie. But the latter, although, like

Milton's lubbar liend, lie loves to stretch himself by the fire,* docs not drudge from the hope of re-

* — how tile drudging goblin swet. To earn the cream-bowl, duly set ; :

INTRODUCTION. CVII

conipense. On the contrary, so delicate is his

attachment, that the offer of reward, but particu-

larly of food, infallibly occasions his disappear-

ance for ever.* We learn from Olaus Magnus,

Wl.i.en, in one night, ere glimpse of morn,

His shadowy flail had thresh'd the corn. That ten day-lab'rers could not end Then lies him down the lubbar fiend. And, stretch'd out all the chimney's length.

fire his Basks at the hairy strength ; And, crop-full, out of doors he flings. Ere the first cock his mattin rings. L' Allegro.

"\\'hen the menials in a Scottish family protracted their vigils

around the kitchen fire. Brownie, weary of being excluded from the midnight hearth, sometimes appeared at the door, seemed to watch their departure, and thus admonished them

—" Gang a' to your beds, sirs, and dinna put out the wee " grieshoch (embers.)"

* It is told of a Brownie, who haunted a Border family, now extinct, that the lady having fallen unexpectedly in labour, and the servant, who was ordered to ride to Jedburgh for the mge Jemme, shewing no great alertness in setting out, the familiar spirit slipt on the great-coat of the lingering domestic, rode to the town on the laird's best horse, and returned with the mid- wife en croupe. During the short space of his absence, the Tweed, which they must necessarily ford, rose to a dangerous height. Brownie, who transported his charge with all the ra- pidity of the ghostly lover of Lenore, was not to be stopped by this obstacle. He plunged in with the terrified old lady, and landed her in safety where her services were wanted. Having put the liorse into the stable (where it was afterwards found in a woeful plight), he proceeded to the room of the servant. —

CVlll INTRODUCTION.

that spirits, somewliat similar in their operations

to the Brownie, were supposed to haunt the Swe-

dish mines. The passage, in the translation of " 1658, runs thus : This is collected in briefe, that

" in northerne kingdomes there are great armies

" of devils, that have their services, which they " perform with the inhabitants of these countries :

" but they are most frequently in rocks and mines,

*' where they bi-eak, cleave, and make them hol-

" low : Avhich also thrust in pitchers and buckets,

" and carefully fit wheels and screws, whereby they

whose duty he had discharged ; and, finding hira just in the act of drawing on his boots, he administered to him a most merciless drubbing with his own horse- whip. Such an important ser\-ice excited the gratitude of the laird ; who, understanding that Brownie had been heard to express a wish to have a green coat, ordered a vestment of that colour to be made and left in his haunts. Brownie took away the green coat, but was never seen more. We may suppose, that, tired of his domestic drudgery, he went in his new livery to join the fairies. See Appendix, No. VI. The last Brownie, known in Ettrick forest, resided in Bods- beck, a wild and solitary spot, where he exercised his func- tions undisturbed, till the scrupulous devotion of an old lady induced her to hire liim away, as it was termed, by placing in his haunt a porringer of milk and a piece of money. After receiving this hint to depart, he was heard the whole night to howl and cry, " Farewell to bonny Bodsbcck !" which he was rompelled to abandon for ever. INTRODUCTION. CIX

" are drawn upwards ; and they shew themselves

" to the labourers, when they list, like phantasms

" and ghosts." It seems no improbable conjecture,

that the Brownie is a legitimate descendant of the

Lar Familiaris of the ancients.

A being, totally distinct from those hitherto

mentioned, is the Bogle, or Goblin ; a freakish

spirit, who delights rather to perplex and frighten

mankind, than either to serve, or seriously to hurt

them. This is the Esprit Follet of the French ;

and PucJc, or Robin Goodfellora, though enlisted

by Shakespeare among the fairy band of Qberon^

properly belongs to this class of phantoms. Shel-

lycoat, a spirit, who resides in the waters, and has

given his name to many a rock and stone upon

the Scottish coast, belongs also to the class of

bogles.* When he appeared, he seemed to be

* One of his pranks is thus narrated : Two men, in a very dark night, approaching the banks of the Ettrick, heard a dole- — !" ful voice from its waves repeatedly exclaim " Lost ! Lost They followed the sound, which seemed to be the voice of a drowning person, and, to their infinite astonishment, they found that it ascended the river. Still they continued, during a long and tempestuous night, to follow the cry of the malicious sprite ; and arriving, before morning's dawn, at the very sources of the river, the voice was now heard descending the ex INTRODUCTION.

decked with marine productions, and, in particular, with shells, whose clattering announced his approach. From this circumstance he derived his name. He may, perhaps, be identified witli the goblin of the northern English, which, in the towns and cities, Durham and Newcastle for example, had the name of Barguest ; * but, in the

country villages, was more frequently termed Brag.

He usually ended his mischievous frolics with a

horse-laugh.

Shellycoat must not be confounded with Keljjy,

a water spirit also, but of a much more powerful

and malignant nature. His attributes have been

the subject of a poem in Lowland Scottish, by

the learned Dr Jamieson of Edinburgh, which

adorns the Third Volume of this collection. Of opposite side of the mountain in which they arise. The fatigued and deluded travellers now relinquished the purf uit ; and had no sooner done so, than they heard Shellycoat applauding, in loud bursts of laughter, his successful roguery. The spirit was supposed particularly to haunt the old house of Gorinberry, situated on the river Hermitage, in Liddesdale.

* This is a sort of spirit pecuUar to those towns. He has made his appearance in this very year (1809) in that of York, if the \ailgar may be credited. His name is derived by Grose,

from his appearing near bars or stiles, but seems rather to come iTom the German Bahr-Geist, or Spirit of the Bier, INTRODUCTION. CXI

Kelpy i therefore, it is unnecessary to say any thing-

at present.

Of all these classes of spirits it may be, in ge-

neral, observed, that their attachment was suppo-

sed to be local, and not personal. They haunted

the rock, the stream, the ruined castle, without

regard to the persons or families to whom the pro-

perty belonged. Hence they differed entirely from

that species of spirits, to whom, in the Highlands,

is ascribed the guardianship, or superintendance, of

a particular clan, or family of distinction ; and who,

perhaps yet more than the Brownie, resemble the

classic household gods. Thus, in a MS. history

of Moray, we are informed, that the family of

Gurlinbeg is haunted by a spirit, called Garlin

Bodaclier ; that of the Baron of Kinchardin, by

Lamhdearg,* or Red-hand, a spectre, one of whose

hands is as red as blood ; that of Tullochgorm, by

* The following notice of Lamhdearg occurs in another account of Strathspey, apxul IVIacfarlane's MSS. : —" There is " much talke of a spirit called Ly-erg, who frequents the " Glenmore. He appears witli a red hand, in the habit of a

" souldier, and challenges men to fight with liini ; as lately as " 1669, he fought with three brothers, one after another, who " immediately died thereafter." CXU INTitODUCTIOX.

May Moulach, a female figure, whose left hand

and arm were covered with hair, Avho is also men-

tioned in Aubreys Miscellanies, pp. 211, 212, as a

familiar attendant upon the clan Grant. These su-

perstitions Mere so ingrafted in the popular creed,

that the clerical synods and presbyteries were wont

to take cognizance of them.*

Various other superstitions, regarding magicians,

spells, prophecies, &c., will claim our attention in

the progress of this work. For the present, there-

fore, taking the advice of an old Scottish rhymer,

let us

" Leave bogles, brownies, gyre carlinges, and ghaists."f Flyting of Polwar-f and Montgomery.

* There is current, in some parts of Germany, a fanciful superstition concerning the StiJle Foike, or silent people. These they suppose to be attached to houses of eminence, and to con- sist of a number, corresponding to that of the mortal family, each person of which has thus his representative amongst these domestic spirits. "When the lady of the family has a child, the queen of the silent people is dehvered in the same moment. They endeavour to give warning when danger approaches the family, assist in warding it off, and are sometimes seen to weep and wring their hands before ine\-itable calamity. + So generally were those tales of diahlerie believed, that one William Lithgow, a hon vivanf, who appears to have been a native, or occasional inhabitant, of [Melrose, is celebrated by the pot-companion who composed his elegy, because

He was good company at jeists. INTRODUCTION. CXUl

The domestic economy of the Borderers next engages our attention. That the revenue of the cliieftain should be expended in rude hospitahty, was the natural result of his situation. His wealth consisted chiefly in herds of cattle, which were consumed by the kinsmen, vassals, and followers, who aided him to acquire and to protect them.*

And wanton when he came to feists. He scorned the converse of great beasts.

O'er a sheep's head ;

He huigh'dat stories about ghaists ;

Blyth Willie's dead ! Watson's Scottish Poems, Edin. 1706.

* We may form some idea of the style of life maintained by the Border warriors, from the anecdotes, handed down by tradition, concerning Walter Scott of Harden, who flourished towards the middle of the sixteenth century. This ancient laird was a renowned freebooter, and used to ride with a numerous band of followers. The spoil, which they carried off from England, or from their neighbours, was concealed in a deep and impervious glen, on the brink of which the old tower of Harden was situated. From thence the cattle were brought out, one by one, as they were wanted, to supply the rude and plentiful table of the laird. When the last bullock was killed and devoured, it was the lady's custom to place on the table a dish, which, on being uncovered, was found to contain a pair of clean spurs, a hint to the riders, that they must shift for their next meal. Upon one occasion, when the village herd was driving out the cattle to pasture, the old laird heard him call loudly, to drive out Harden s cow. " Hardens cow !" echoed the affronted chief—" Is it come to that pass } by my faith " they shall sune say Harden's kye," (cows.) Accordingly, he

VOL. I. h :

CXIV INTRODUCTION.

We learn from Lesley, that the Borderers were

temperate in their use of intoxicating liquors, and

we are therefore left to conjecture how they oc-

cupied the time, when winter, or when accident.

sounded his bugle, mounted his horse, set out with his followers, and returned next day with " a bow of kye, and a has- " send (brindled) hull." On his return with this gallant prey, he passed a very large hay-stack. It occurred to the provident laird, that this would be extremely convenient to fodder his new stock of cattle ; but as no means of transporting it occurred, he was fain to take leave of it with this apostrophe, now proverbial : " By my soul, had ye but four feet, ye should not " stand lang there." In short, as Froissart says of a similar class of feudal robbers, nothing came amiss to them, that was not too heavy, or too hot. The same mode of house-keeping characterized most Border families on both sides. A IMS. quoted in History of Cumberland, p. 466, concerning the Graemes of Netherby, and others of that clan, runs thus

" They were all stark moss-troopers and arrant thieves : both

" to England and Scotland outlawed : yet sometimes connived

" at, because they gave intelligence forth of Scotland, and " would raise 400 horse at any time, upon a raid of the Eng- " lish into Scotland." A saying is recorded of a mother to her son (which is now become proverbial,) " Ride, Rovly (Row- ;" land,) hoiifrh's i' the jiot that is, the last piece of beef was in the pot, and therefore it was high time for him to go and fetch more. To such men might with justice be appUed the poet's description of the Cretan warrior, translated by my friend, Dr Leyden :

IVIy sword, my spear, my shaggy shield.

With these I till, with these I sow ;

With these I reap my harvest field. The only wealth the Gods bestow. INTRODUCTION. CXV

confined them to their habitations. The little

learning-, wliich existed in the middle ages, glim-

mered a dim and dying flame in the religious hou-

ses ; and even in the sixteenth century, when its

beams became more widely diffused, they were far

from penetrating the recesses of the Border moun-

tains. The tales of tradition, the song, with the pipe or harp of the minstrel, were probably the sole resources against enmii, during the short intervals of repose from military adventure.

This brings us to the more immediate subject of the present publication.

Lesley, who dedicates to the description of Bor- der manners a chapter, which we have already often quoted, notices particularly the taste of the

Marchmen for music and ballad poetry. " Placent

" admodum sibi sua musica, etrythmicis suis cantio-

With these I plant the purple vine,

With these I press the luscious wine.

My sword, my spear, my shaggy shield,

They make me lord of all below ; For he who dreads the lance to wield. Before my shaggy shield must bow. His lands, his vineyards, must resign,

And all that cowards have is mine. Hybrids {ap, Atltenmum.) —

CXVl INTRODUCTION.

" nibus, qnas dcmajorttm snorumg-csfis, aiit ingenio-

" sis ijrebandi jyrecandive stratagematis ipsi canjin-

" guilt.''''—Lesl^eus, in cajnf. de morh'is eorum, qui

Scot'iCE limites AngUam versus incolunt. The more rude and wild the state of society, the more general and violent is the impulse received from poetry and music. The muse, whose effusions are the amusement of a very small part of a polished na-

tion, records, in the lays of inspiration, the his-

tory, the laws, the very religion, of savages.

Where the pen and the press are wanting, the

flow of numbers impresses upon the memory of

posterity the deeds and sentiments of their fore-

fathers. ^'erse is naturally connected with music ;

and, among a rude people, the union is seldom

broken. By this natural alliance, the lays " steep-

" ed in the stream of harmony," are more^ easily

retained by the reciter, and produce upon his au-

dience a more impressive effect. Hence, there

has hardly been found to exist a nation so brutish-

ly rude, as not to hsten with enthusiasm to the

songs of their bards, recounting the exploits of

their forefathers, recording their laws and moral

precepts, or hymning the praises of their deities. INTRODUCTION. CXVII

But, where the feelings are frequently stretched to

the highest pitch, by the vicissitudes of a life of

danger and military adventure, this predisposition

of a savage people, to admire their own rude poetry

and music, is heightened, and its tone becomes pe-

culiarly determined. It is not the peaceful Hindu

at his loom, it is not the timid Esquimaux in his

canoe, whom we must expect to glow at the war- song of Tyrtaeus. The music and the poetry of each country must keep pace with their usual tone

of mind, as well as with the state of society.

The morality of their compositions is determined by the same circumstances. Those themes are necessarily chosen by the bard, which regard the favourite exploits of the hearers ; and he celebrates only those virtues which from infancy he has been taught to admire. Hence, as remarked by Lesley, the music and songs of the Borders were of a military nature, and celebrated the valour and success of their predatory expeditions. Razing, like Shake- speare's pirate, the eighth commandment from the decalogue, the minstrels praised their chieftains for the very exploits, against which the laws of the country denounced a capital doom.—An out- CXVU INTRODUCTION, lawed freebooter was to them a more interesting person than the King of Scotland exerting his power to punish his depi'edations ; and, when the characters are contrasted, the latter is always represented as a ruthless and sanguinary tyrant.—

Spenser''s description of the bards of Ireland applies, in some degree, to our ancient Border poets.

" There is, among the Irish, a certain kinde of

" people called bardes, which are to them instead

" of poets ; whose profession is to set forth the

" praises or dispraises of men, in their poems or

" rhymes ; the which are had in such high reganl

" or esteem amongst them, that none dare dis-

" please them, for fear of running into reproach

" through theu' offence, and to be made infamous

'' in the mouths of all men ; for their verses are

" taken up with a general applause, and usually

" sung at all feasts and meetings, by certain other

" persons, whose proper function that is, who also

" receive, for the same, great rewardes and repu-

" tation amongst them." Spenser, having bestow-

ed due praise upon the poets, who sung the

prmses of the good and virtuous, 'informs us, that

the bards, on the contrary, " seldom use to chuse —

INTRODUCTION. CXIX

" unto themselves the doings of good men for the

" arguments of their poems ; but whomsoever they

" finde to be most hcentious of hfe, most bold and

" lawless in his doings, most dangerous and despe-

" rate in all parts of disobedience, and rebellious

" disposition, him they set up and glorify in their

" rhythmes ; him they praise to the people, and to

" young men make an example to follow.''' Eu- doxus—" I marvail what kind of speeches they

" can find, or what faces they can put on, to praise

" such bad persons, as live so lawlessly and licen-

" tiously upon stealths and spoyles, as most of

" them do ; or how they can think that any good

" mind will applaud or approve the same ?" In answer to this question, Irenaeus^ after remarking the giddy and restless disposition of the ill-educated youth of Ireland, which made them prompt to receive evil counsel, adds, that such a person, " if

" he shall find any to praise him, and to give him

" any encouragement, as those bards and rhyth-

" mers do, for little rewai-d, or share of a stolen

*' cow,* then waxeth he most insolent, and half-

* The reward of the Welch bards, and perhaps of those upon the Border, was very similar. It was enacted by Howel — .

CXX INTRODUCTION.

" mad, with the love of himself and his own lewd

" deeds. And as for words to set forth such lewd-

" ness, it is not hard for them to give a goodly

" and painted show thereunto, borrowed even from

" the praises which are proper to virtue itself. As

" of a most notorious thief, and wicked outlaw,

" which had lived all his life-time of spoils and

" robberies, one of their bardes, in his praise, will

" say, ' that he was none of the idle milk-sops

" that was brought up by their fire-side, but that

" most of his days he spent in arms, and valiant

" enterprizes ; that he never did eat his meat before

" he had won it with his sword ; that he lay not

" all night slugging in his cabin under his mantle,

" but used commonly to keep others waking to

" defend their lives, and did hght his candle at the

" flames of their houses to lead him in the dark-

" ness ; that the day was his night, and the night

" his day ; that he loved not to be long wooing of

" wenches to yield to him ; but, where he came,

" he took by force the spoil of other men's love.

Dha, that if the king's bard played before a body of warriors, upon a predatory excursion, he should receive, in recompence, the best cow which the party carried off. Leges Walliw, 1. 1 cap. 19. —

INTllODUCTION. CXXl

" and left but lamentations to their lovers ; that

" his music was not the harp, nor lays of love, but

" the cries of people, and clashing of armour ; and

" finally, that he died, not bewailed of many, but

" made many wail when he died, that dearly bought

" his death.' Do not you think, Eudoxus, that

" many of these praises might be applied to men

" of best deserts ? Yet are they all yielded to a

" most notable traitor, and amongst some of the

*' Irish not smally accounted of." State ofIreland. The same concurrence of circumstances, so well pointed out by Spenser, as dictating the topics of the Irish bards, tuned the Border harps to the praise of an outlawed Armstrong, or Murray.

For similar reasons, flowing from the state of society, the reader must not expect to find, in the

Border ballads, refined sentiment, and, far less, elegant expression ; although the style of such compositions has, in modern hands, been found highly susceptible of both. But passages might be pointed out, in which the rude minstrel has melted in natural pathos, or risen into rude energy.

Even where these graces are totally wanting, the interest of the stories themselves, and the curious :

CXXU INTRODUCTION. picture of manners which they frequently present, authorise them to claim some respect from the public. But it is not the editor's present intention to enter upon a history of Border poetry ; a subject of great difficulty, and which the extent of his information does not as yet permit him to engage in. He will, therefore, now lay before the reader

the plan of the present pubhcation ; pointing out the authorities from which his materials are derived, and slightly noticing the nature of the different classes into which he has arranged them.

The Minstrelsy of the Scottish Boiidee contains Three Classes of Poems

I. Historical Ballads.

II. Romantic

III. Imitations of these compositions BY modern authors.

The Historical Ballad relates events, which we either know actually to have taken place, or which, at least, making due allowance for the ex- aggerations of poetical tradition, we may readily conceive to have had some foundation in history. ——

INTRODUCTION. CXXUl

For reasons already mentioned, such ballads were early current upon the Border. Barbour informs us, that he thinks it unnecessary to rehearse the account of a victory, gained in Eskdale over the

English, because

— Whasa liks, thai may her Young women, whan thai will play,

Syng it among thaim ilk clay. The Bruce, Book XVI.

Godscroft also, in the History of the House of

Douglas, written in the reign of James VI., alludes more than once to the ballads current upon the

Border, in which the exploits of those heroes were celebrated. Such is the passage relating to the death of William Douglas, Lord of Liddesdale, slain by the Earl of Douglas, his kinsma , his godson, and his chief.* Similar strains of la-

* " The Lord of Liddesdale being at his pastime, hunting in

Ettrick forest, is beset by William, Earl of Douglas, and such as he had ordained for the purpose, and there assailed, wounded, and slain, beside Galeswood, in the year 1353, upon a jealousy that the earl had conceived of him with his

lady, as the report goeth ; for so sayeth the old song,

" The Countess of Douglas out of her bower she cams,

" And loudly there tliat she did call

" It is for the lord of Liddesdale,

" That I let all these tears down fall." — —

CXXIV INTRODUCTION.

mentation were poured by the Border poets over

the tomb of the Hero of Otterbourne ; and over

the unfortunate youths, who were dragged to an

ignominious death, from the very table at which

they partook of the hospitality of their sovereign.

The only stanza, preserved of this last ballad, is

uncommonly animated :

Edinburgh castle, towne, and toure,

God grant thou sink for sinne ! And that even for the black dinoure, Erl Douglas gat therein.

Who will not regret, with the editor, that compositions of such interest and antiquity should be now irrecoverable ? But it is the nature of popular poetry, as of popular applause, perpetually to shift

with the objects of the time ; and it is the frail chance of recovering some old manuscript, which can alone gratify our curiosity regarding the ear-

" The song also declareth, how she did write her love-letters " to Liddesdale, to dissuade him from that hunting. It tells " likewise the manner of the taking of his men, and his own

" killing at Galeswood ; and how he was carried the first night " to Linden kirk, a mile from Selkirk, and was buried in the

" Abbey of Melrose." Godscroft, vol. I. p. 144, Ed. 1743.

Some fragments of this ballad are still current, and will be found in the ensuing work. —

INTRODUCTION. CXXV

lier efforts of the Border Muse. Some of her later strains, composed during the sixteenth century, have survived even to the present day ; but the recollection of them has, of late years, become like

that of a " tale which was told." In the sixteenth century, these northern tales appear to have been popular even in London ; for the learned Mr Rit-

son has obligingly pointed out to me the following passages, respecting the noted ballad of Dick " o' the Coze (p. 21 3) ; Dick o' the Cow, that mad " demi-lance Northern Borderer, who plaid his

*' prizes with the Lord Jockey so bravely." Nashe's

Have 1101111 you to Sqffren-Walden, or Gahriell Har-

vey's Hunt is up.—1596, 4to. Epistle DcdicatoriCy

sig: A. 2. 6. And, in a list of Books, printed for,

and sold by, P. Brocksby (1688), occurs " Dick-

a the-Cow, containing north country songs."*

Could this collection have been found, it would

probably have thrown much light on the present

* The Selkirkshire ballad of Tamlane seems also to have been well known in England. Among the popiilar heroes of romance, enumerated in the introduction to the history of " To7n Tkumbe," (London, 1621, bl. letter), occurs "Tom a

" Lin, the devil's supposed bastard." There is a parody upon the same ballad in the " Finder of Wakefield," (London, 1G21.) — ; ;:

CXXVl INTRODUCTION.

pul)lication : but the editor has been obHged to

dra-v his materials chiefly from oral tradition.

Something may be still found in the Border cot-

tages resembling the scene described by Penny-

cuik :

On a winter's night my grannam spinning,

To mak a web of good Scots linen ; Her stool being placed next to the chimley,

(For she was axild, and saw right dimly,) My lucky dad, an honest whig.

Was telling tales of Bothwell-brigg ; He could not miss to mind the attempt. For he was sitting pu'ing hemp My aunt, whom nane dare say has no grace.

Was reading in the Pilgrim's Progress ; The meikle tasker, Davie Dallas, Was telling blads of William Wallace My mither bade her second son say. What he'd by heart of Davie Lindsay Our herd, whom all folks hate that knows him.

Was busy hunting in his bosom ;

The bairns, and oyes were all within doors The youngest of us chewing cinders. And all the auld anes telling wonders. } Pennicuick's Poems, p. 7.

The causes of the preservation of these songs have eitlier entirely ceased, or are gradually decay-

ing. Whether they were originally the composi-

tion of minstrels, professing the joint arts of poetry —

INTRODUCTION. CXXVll

and music ; or whether they were the occasional

effusions of some self-taught bard, is a question

into which I do not here mean to inquire. But it is certain, that, till a very late period, the pipers,

of whom there was one attached to each Border

town of note, and whose office was often heredi-

tary, were the great depositaries of oral, and par-

ticularly of poetical, tradition. About spring time,

and after harvest, it was the custom of these musi-

cians to make a progress through a particular dis

trict of the country. The music and the tale re-

paid theu' lodging, and they were usually gratified

with a donation of seed corn.* This order of

minstrels is alluded to in the comic song of Maggy

Laiide?; who thus addresses a piper

" Live ye upo' the Border ?"

By means of these men, much traditional poetry

was preserved, which must otherwise have perish-

ed. Other itinerants, not professed musicians,

found their welcome to their nights quarters rea-

* These town pipers, an institution of great antiquity upon the Borders, were certainly the last remains of the minstrel race. Robin Hastie, town-piper of Jedburgh, perhaps the last

of the order, died nine or ten years ago : * his family was sup-

Edition of 1802. CXXVlll INTRODUCTION. dily insured by their knowledge in legendary lore.

John Graeme, of Sowport, in Cumberland, commonly called The Long Qualrr,* a person of this latter description, was very lately alive ; and several of the songs, now published, have been taken down from his recitation. The shepherds also, and aged persons, in the recesses of the Border mountains, frequently remember and repeat the warlike songs of their fathers. This is more especially the case in what are called the South Highlands, where, in many instances, the same families have occupied the same possessions for centuries.

posed to have held the office for about three centuries. Old age had rendered Robin a wretched performer ; but he knew several old songs and tunes, which have probably died along with him. The town-pipers received a livery and salary from the community to which they belonged ; and, in some burghs, they had a small allotment of land, called the Piper's Croft. For further particulars regarding them, see Introduction to Complaynt of Scotland, Edinburgh, 1801, p. 142. * This person, perhaps the last of our professed ballad

reciters, died since the publication of the first edition of this work. He was by profession an itinerant cleaner of clocks and

watches ; but a stentorian voice, and tenacious memory, qua- lified him eminently for remembering accurately, and reciting with energy, the Border gathering songs and tales of war. His memory was latterly much impaired; yet, the number of verses which he could pour forth, and the animation of his tone and gestures, formed a most extraordinary contrast to his extreme feebleness of person, and dotage of mind. INTRODUCTION. CXXIX

It is chiefly from this latter source that the editor

lias drawn his materials, most of which were collect-

ed many years ago, during his early youth. But he

has been enabled, in many instances, to supply and

correct the deficiencies of his own copies, from a

collection of Border songs, frequently referred to

in the work, under the title of GlenriddeWs MS.

This was compiled from various sources, by the

late Mr Riddel, of Glenriddel, a sedulous Border

antiquary, and, since his death, has become the

property of Mr Jollie, bookseller, at Cai'lisle ; to

whose liberality the editor owes the use of it, while

jireparing this work for the press. No liberties

have been taken, either with the recited or written copies of these baUads, farther than that, where they disagreed, which is by no means unusual, the editor, in justice to the author, has uniformly preserved what seemed to him the best or most poetical reading of the passage. Such discrepancies must very frequently occur, wherever poetry is

preserved by oral tradition ; for the reciter, making- it a uniform principle to proceed at all hazards, is very often, when his memory fails him, apt to substitute large portions from some other tale,

VOL. I. i ;

CXXX INTRODUCTION. altogether distinct from that which he has commenced. Besides, the prejudices of clans and of districts have occasioned variations in the mode of telling the same story. Some arrangement was also occasionally necessary, to recover the rhyme, which was often, by the ignorance of the reciters, transposed or thrown into the middle of the hne.

With these freedoms, which ^vCre essentially necessary to remove obvious corruptions, and fit the ballads for the press, the editor presents them to the jiublic, under the complete assurance, that they carry with them the most indisputable marks of their authenticity.

The same observations apply to the Second Class, liere termed Romantic Ballads ; intended to comprehend such legends as are current upon the

Border, relating to fictitious and marvellous adventures. Such were the tales, with which the friends

of Spenser strove to beguile his indisposition :

" Some told of ladies, and their paramours ; " Some of brave knights, and their renowned squires " Some of the fairies, and their strange attires, " And some of giants, liavd to be believed."

These, carrying with tlioni a general, and not INTRODUCTION. CXXXl merely a local interest, are much more exten- sively known among the peasantry of Scotland than the Border-raid ballads, the fame of which is in general confined to the mountains where they were originally composed. Hence, it has been easy to collect these tales of romance, to a number much greater than the editor has chosen to insert in this publication.* With this class are now in- termingled some lyric pieces, and some ballads, which, though narrating real events, have no direct reference to Border history or manners. To

the politeness and liberality of Mr Herd, of Edin- burgh, the editor of the first classical collection of

Scottish songs and ballads, (Edinburgh, 177 4<, 2 vols.,) the editor is indebted for the use of his

MSS,, containing songs and ballads, published and

unpublished, to the number of ninety and upwards.

To this collection frequent references are made, in

* Mr Jamieson, of Macclesfield, a gentleman of literary and poetical accomplishment, was, for some years, employed in a compilation of Scottish ballad poetry, which was published in 1806. I therefore, as far as the nature of my work permitted, sedulously avoided anticipating any of his materials : and the curious reader will find in his collection some important hght on the history of Scottish Song, derived from comparing it with the ballad of the Scandinavians. CXXXll INTRODrCTION.

the course oi the following pages. Two books of

ballads, in MS., have also been communicated to

me, by my learned and respected friend, Alexan-

der Fraser Tytler, Esq.* I take the liberty of

transcribing Mr Tytler's memorandum respecting

the manner in which, they came into his hands.

" My father -}- got the following songs from an old

" friend, Mr Thomas Gordon, Professor of Philo-

" sophy. King's College, Aberdeen. The follow-

" ing extract of a letter of the Professor to me ex-

*' plains how lie came by them : —'An aunt oi'my

" children, Mrs Farquhar, now dead, who was

" married to tlie proprietor of a small estate, near

*' the sources of the Dee, in Braemar, a good old

" woman, who spent the best part of her life among

" flocks and herds, resided in her latter days in

" the town of Aberdeen. She was possest of a

" most tenacious memory, Avhich retained all the

" songs she had heard from nurses and country-

" women in that sequestered part of the country.

*' Being maternally fond of my children, when

* Now a senator of the College of Justice, by the title of Loard: Woodhouselee. 1810.—Now deceased. 1820. t William Tytler, Esq. the ingenious defender of Queen ^lary, and author of a Disse)fatinv vpmi Scoffixfi Music, which does honour to his memory. INTRODUCTION. CXXXIU

" young, she had them much about her, and de-

*' hghted them with her songs, and tales of chival-

" ry. My youngest daughter, Mrs Brown, at

" Falkland, is blest with a memory as good as her

" aunt, and has almost the whole of her songs by

*' heart. In conversation I mentioned them to

" your father, at whose request, my grandson, Mr

*' Scott, wrote down a parcel of them, as his aunt

*' sung them. Being then but a mere novice in

" music, he added in the copy such musical

*' notes, as, he supposed, might give your father

" some notion of the airs, or rather lilts,, to which

" they were sung.''"

From this curious and valuable collection, the

editor has procured very material assistance. At

the same time, it contains many beautiful legendary poems, of which he could not avail himself, as they seemed to be the exclusive property of the bards of Angus and Aberdeenshire. But the copies of such, as were known on the Borders, have furnished him with various readings, and with sup- plementary stanzas, which he has frequent opportunities to acknowledge. The MSS. are cited under the name of Mrs Brown of Falkland, the luge- CXXXIV INTRODUCTION. nious lady, to whose taste and memory the world is indebted for the preservation of the tales which they contain. The other authorities, which occur during the work, are particularly referred to. Much information has been communicated to the editor,

from various quarters, since the work was first pub-

lished, of which he has availed himself, to correct

and enlarge the subsequent editions.

In publi^ing both classes of Ancient Ballads, the

editor has excluded those which are to be found in

the common collections of this nature, unless in one

or two instances, where he conceived it possible to

give some novelty, by historical or critical illustra-

tion.

It would have been easy for the editor to have

given these songs an appearance of more indispu-

table antiquity, by adopting the rude orthography

of the period to which he is inclined to refer them.

But this (unless when MSS. of antiquity can be re-

ferred to) seemed too arbitrary an exertion of the

privileges of a publisher, and must, besides, have

vmnecessarily increased the difficulties of many

readers. On the other hand, the utmost care has

been taken, never to reject a word or phrase, used INTRODUCTION. CXXXV by a reciter, however uncouth or antiquated. Such barbarisms, which stamp upon the tales their age and their nation, should be respected by an editor, as the hardy emblem of his country was venerated

by the Poet of Scotland :

The rough bur-thistle spreading wide Amang the bearded beer, I turned the weeder-clips aside. And spared the symbol dear. Burns.

The meaning of such obsolete words is usually given at the bottom of the page. For explanation of the more common peculiarities of the Scottish

dialect, the English reader is referred to the ex-

cellent glossary annexed to the best editions of

Burns' works.

The Third Class of Ballads are announced to

the public, as Modern Imitations of the An-

cient style of composition, in that department of

poetry ; and they are founded upon such tradi-

tions, as we may suppose in the elder times would

have employed the harps of the minstrels. This

kind of poetry has been supposed capable of uni-

ting the vigorous numbers and wUd fiction, which

occasionally charm us in the ancient ballad, with ;

CXXXVl INTIIODUCTION. a greater equality of versification, and elegance of sentiment, than we can expect to find in the works of a rude age. But upon my ideas of the nature and difficulty of such imitations, I ought, in prudence, to be silent ; lest I resemble the dwarf, wlio brought with him a standard to measure his own stature. I may, however, hint at the difference, not always attended to, betwixt the legendary

poems and real imitations of the old ballad ; the reader will find specimens of both in the modern part of this collection. The legendary poem, called Glenjinlas, and the ballad, entitled the Eve of

St John, were designed as examples of the difference betwixt these two kinds of composition.

It would have the appearance of personal vanity, Avere the editor to detail the assistance and encouragement which he has received, during his undertaking, from some of the first literary characters of our age. The names of Steuart, IVIacken- zie, Ellis, Currie, and Ritson, with many others, are talismans too powerful to be used, for bespeak- ing the world's favour to a collection of old songs even although a veteran bard has remarked, " that

" both the great poet of Italian rhyme, Petrarch,

" and our Chaucer, and other of the upper house INTRODUCTION. CXXXVU

" of the muses, have thought their canzons ho-

" noured m the title of a ballad." To my ingenious

friend, Dr John Leyden,* my readers will at once

perceive that I lie under extensive obligations, for

the poetical pieces with which he has permitted

me to decorate my compilation ; but I am yet far-

ther indebted to him for his uniform assistance, in

collecting and arranging materials for the work.

In the Notes and occasional Dissertations, it has

been my object to throw together, perhaps witli-

out sufficient attention to metliod, a variety of re-

marks, regarding popular superstitions, and le-

gendary history, which, if not now collected, must

soon have been totally forgotten. By such ef-

forts, feeble as they are, I maycontribute somewhat to the history of my native coimtry ; the peculiar features of whose manners and character are daily melting and dissolving into those of her sister and ally. And, trivial as may appear such an offering to the manes of a kingdom, once proud and independent, I hang it upon her altar with a mixture of feelings, which I shall not attempt to describe.

* Now, to the great loss of litcratvue, and of his friends,, no more. 1820. ! !

CXXXVIU INTRODUCTION,

" —Hail, Land of spearmen ! seed of those who scom'd " To stoop the proud crest to Imperial Rome

" Hail ! dearest half of Albion, sea-wall'd !

" Hail ! state unconquer'd by the fire of war, " Red war, that twenty ages round thee blazed " To thee, for whom my purest raptures flow, " Kneeling with filial homage, I devote

" My life, my strength, my first and latest song." APPENDIX, No. T.

LETTER

FROM

THE EARL OF SURREY, TO HENRY VIII.

GIVING AN ACCOUNT

OF THE STORM OF JEDBURGH.

Cott. MSS. Calig. B. III. fol. 29-

" Pleisith it your grace to be advertised, that upon Fiidaye, et x a clok at nyght, I retourned to this towne and all the garnysons to their places assigned, the bushopricke men, my Lorde of Westmoreland, and my Lorde Dacre, in likewise, evry man home with their companys,

without loss of any men, thanked be God ; saving viii or X slayne, and dy vers hurt, at skyrmyshis and saults ofthe

town of Gedwurth, and the fortereissis ; which towne is soo surely brent, that no garnysons ner none other shal ;

CXI APPENDIX, NO. I.

bee lodged there, unto the tyme it bee newe buylded

the brennyng whereof I comytted to twoo sure men. Sir William Bulmer, and Thomas Tempeste. The towne

was much bettir then I went {i. e. ween'd) it had been, for there was tAvoo tymys moo houses therein then in

Berwicke, and well buylded, with many honest and fair houses therein, sufficiente to have lodged M horsemen in garnyson, and six good towres therein; which towne and towres be clenely destroyed, brent, and throwen downe. Undoubtedly there was noo journey made into Scotland, in noo manys day levying, with soo fewe a nombre, that is recowntedto be soo high an enterprice as this, bothe with theis contremen, and Scottishmen, nor

of truthe so much hurte doon. But in th' ende a great

mysfortune ded fal, onely by foly, that such ordre, as was commanded by me to be kepte, was not observed, the manner whereof hereaftir shall ensue. Bifore myn entre into Scotland, I appointed Sir William Bulmer and

Sir William Evers too be marshallis of th' army; Sir Wil- liam Bulmer for the vanguard, and Sir William Evers for the reregard. In the vanguard I appointed my Lord of

Westmoreland, as chief, with all the bushopricke. Sir William Bulmer, Sir William Evers, my Lord Dacre,Avith all his company ; and with me reraayned all the rest of the garnysons, and the Northumberland men. I was of counsaill with the marshallis at th' ordering of our lodg- ingg, and our campe Avas soo well envirowned with ordy-

nenance, carts, and dikes, that hard it was to entre or issue ArPF.XDix, NO. I. cxli

))iit at certain places appointed foi- that purpos, and assigned the mooste commodious place of the said campe for my Lord Dacre company, next the water, and next my Lord of Westmoreland. And at suche tyme as my

Lord Dacre came into the felde, I being at the sault of th' abby, which contyniied unto twoo houres within nyglit, my seid Lord Dacre wolde in nowise bee contente to ly within the campe, whichewas made right sure,but lodged himself without, wherewith, at my returne, I was not contente, but then it was too late to remove ; the next daye I sente my seid Lorde Dacre to a strong hold, called

Fernherst, the lord whereof was his mortal enemy ; and with hym. Sir Arthur Darcy, Sir Marmaduke Constable, with viii c of their men, one cortoute, and dyvers other good peces of ordynance for the feld (the seid Fernherste stode marvelous strongly, within a grete woode) ; the seid twoo knights with the most part of their men, and Strickland, your grace servaunte, with my Kendall men, went into tae woode on fote, with th' ordynance, where the said Kendall men were so handled, that they found

hardy men, that went noo foote back for theym ; the other two knightes were also soo sharply assayled, that they were enforced to call for moo of their men ; and yet could not bring the ordynance to the fortress, unto the tyme my LordDacre,withpartofhishorsemen,liglit- ed on fote ; and marvelously hardly handled himself, and fynally, with long skirmyshing, and moche diflfi- cultie, gat forthe th' ord^'nance within the howse and ;

CXlii APPENDIX, No. I.

threwe down the same. At which skyrmyshe, my seicl Lord Dacre, and his brother. Sir Cristofer, Sir Arthure, and Sir Marmaduke, and many other gentihnen, did mar-

vellously hardly ; and found the best resistance that hath been seen with my comying to their parties, and above

xxxii Scottis sleyne, and not passing iiij Englishmen,but above Ix hurt. Aftir that, my said lord retournyng to the camp, wold in no wise bee lodged in the same, but where he lay the furst nyght. And he being with me

at souper, about viij a clok, the horses of his company brak lowse, and sodenly ran out of his feld, in such

nombre, that it caused a marvellous alarome in our feld and our standing watche being set, the horses cam ron- nyng along the campe, at whome were shot above one hundred shief of arrowes, and dyvers gonnys, thinking

they had been Scots, that wold have saulted the campe ; fynally, the horses were so madde, that they ran like wild derc into the feld, above xv c at the leest, in dy-

vers companys ; and, in one place, above 1 felle dowue a

ij . grete rok, and slewe theyraself, and above c ran into the towne being on fire, and by the women taken, and carried awaye right evill brent, and many were taken

agayne. But, finally, by that I can esteme by the nom-

bre of theym that I saw goo on foote the next daye, I

think thare is lost above viij c horses, and all with foly

for lak of not lying within the camp. I dare not write the wondres that my lord Dacre, and all his company,

doo saye they sawe that nyght, vj. tyms of spirits and APPENDIX, No. I. cxliii

fereful sights. And unyversally all their company saye playnly,the devil was that nyght among theym vi tymys; which mysfortune hath blemyshed the best journey that was made in Scotland many yeres. I assure your grace I found the Scottes, at this tyme, the boldest men, and the hotest, that ever I sawe any nation, and all the journey, upon all parts of th' armye, kepte us with soo con- tynuall skyrmyshe, that I never sawe the like. If they might assemble xl M as good men as I nowe sawe, xv c or ij M, it wold bee a hard encountre to mete theym.

Pitie it is of my Lord Dacres losse of the horses of his company ; he brought with hym above iiij M. men, and came and lodged one night in Scotland, in his moost mortal enemy's contre. There is noo herdyer, ner bettir knyght, but often tyme he doth not use the most sure order, which he hath nowe payd derely for. Written at Berwike the xxvij of September. Your most bownden, T. SURREY. CXIV APPENDIX, NO. IT.

APPENDIX, No. II.

HISTORY OF GEORDIE BOURNE.

Jn the following passages, extracted from the Memoirs of Sir Robert Carey, then deputy of his fathei*. Lord Hunsdon, warden of the East Marches, afterwards Earl of Monmouth, the reader will find a lively illustration of the sketch given of Border manners in the preceding Introduction.

" Having thus ended with my brother, I then beganne to thinke of the chargel had taken upon mee, which was the government of the East March in my father's absence. I wrote to Sir Robert Kerr,* who was my opposite warden, a brave active young man, and desired him that hee would appoint a day, when hee and myselfe might privately meet in some part of the Border, to take some good order for the quieting the Borders, till my retourne from London, which journey I Avas

" Sir Kobert Kerr of Cessford, warden of the Middle Marches, and aiiccstor of the house of Roxbur'^lie. APPENDIX, NO. II. Cxlv

shortly ofnecessity to take. He stayed my man all night, and wrote to mee backj that hee was glad to have the happinesse to be acquainted with mee, and did not doubt but the country would be better governed by our good agreements. I wrote to him on the Monday, and the Thursday after hee appointed the place and hour of meeting.

" After hee had filled my man with drinke, and put him to bed, hee, and some halfe a score with him, gott to horse, and came into England to a little village. There hee broke up a house, and tooke out a poor fellow, who (hee pretended) had done him some wrong, and before the doore cruelly murthered him, and so came quietly home, and went to bed. The next morning hee delivered my man a letter in answer to mine, and retourned him to mee. It pleased me well at the reading of his kinde letter ; but when I heard what a brave hee had put upon mee, I quickly resolved what to do, which was, never to have to do with him till I was righted for the greate wrong he had done mee. Upon this resolution, the day I should have mett with him, I tooke post, and with all the haste I could, rode to London, leaving him to attend my coming to him as was appointed. There hee stayed from one till five, but heard no news of mee.

Finding by this that I had neglected him, hee retourned home to his house, and so things rested (with greate

dislike the one of the other) till I came back, which was

with all the speede I could, my businesse being ended, k Cxlvi APPENDIX, NO. II.

The first thing I did after my retoume, was to ask justice for the wrong hee had done me ; but I could get none. The Borderers, seeing our disagreement, they thought the time wished for of them was come. The winter being beganne, their was roades made out of Scotland into the East March, and goods were taken three or four times a-weeke. I had no other meanes left to quiet them, but still sent out of the garrison horsemen of Berwick, to watch in the fittest places for them, and it was their good hap many times to light upon them, with the stolen goods driving before them. They were no sooner brought before mee, but a jury went upon them, and being found guilty, they were frequently hanged ; a course which hath been seldom used, but I had no way to keep the country quiet but so to do ; for, when the Scotch theeves found what a sharp course I tooke with them, that were found with the bloody hand, I had in a short time the country more quiet. All this while wee were but in jest as it were, but now beganne the greate quarrell betweene us.

" There was a favorite of his, a greate theife, called Geordie Bourne. This gallant, with some of his associates, would, in a bravery, come and take goods in the

East March. 1 had that night some ofthe garrison abroad. They met with this Geordie and his fellows, driving of cattle before them. The garrison set upon them, and with a shott killed Geordie Bourne's unckle, and hee himselfe, bravely resisting till he was sore hurt in the APPENDIX, NO. II. cxlvii head, was taken. After he was taken, his pride was such, as hee asked, who it was that durst avow that nightes worke } but when he heard it was the garrison, he was then more quiet. But so powerful and so awfull was this Sir Robert Kerr, and his favourites, as there was not a gentleman in all the East March that durst offend them. Presently after hee was taken, I had most of the gentlemen of the March come to mee, and told mee, that now I had the ball at my foote, and might bring Sir Robert Kerr to what conditions I pleased ; for that this man's life was so neere and deare unto him, as I should have all that my heart could desire, for the good and quiet of the country and myselfe, if upon any condition I would give him his life. I heard them and their reasons ; notwithstanding, I called a jury the next morning, and hee was found guilty of March Trea- son. Then they feared that I would cause him to be executed that afternoone, which made them come flock- ing to mee, humbly entreating mee, that I would spare his life till the next day, and if Sir Robert Kerr came not himselfe to mee, and made mee not such proffers, as I could not but accept, that then I should do with him what I pleased. And further, they told mee plainly, that if I should execute him before I had heard from Sir Robert Kerr, they must be forced to quitt their houses, and fly the country ; for his fury would be such, against me and the March I commanded, as hee would use all his power and strength to the utter destruction of the East March. They were so earnest with mee, ;;

Cxlviii APPENDIX, NO. II.

that I gave them my word hee should not dye that day. There was post upon post sent to Sir Robert Kerr, and some of them rode to him themselves, to advertise him in what danger Geordie Bourne was ; how he was condemned, and should have been executed that afternoone, but, by their humble suit, I gave them my word, that he should not die that day ; and therefore besought him that hee would send to mee, with all the speede hee could, to let mee know that hee would be the next day with mee to offer mee good conditions for the safety of his life.

When all things were quiet, and the watch set at night, after supper, about ten uf the clock, I took one of my men's liveryes, and putt it about mee, and tooke two other of my servants with mee in their liveryes, and Ave three, as the warden's men, came to the provost marshal!' s, where Bourne was, and were lett into his chamber. Wee sate down by him, and told him that we were desirous to see him, because wee heard hee was

stoute and valiant, and true to his friend ; and that wee were sorry our master could not be moved to save his

life. He voluntarily of himselfe said, that he had lived long enough to do so many villainies as hee had done and withal told us, that hee had layne with about forty men's wives, what in England, and what in Scotland and that he had killed seven Englishmen with his own

hands, cruelly murthering them ; that he had spent his

whole life in whoring, drinking, stealing, and taking deep revenge for slight offences. Hee seemed to be very peni-

tent, and much desired a minister foi the comforte of his APPENDIX, NO. II. cxlix

soule. Wee promised him to lett our master know his

desire, who, we knew, would presently grant it. We took our leaves of him, and presently I tooke order, that Mr Selby, a very worthy honest preacher, should go to him, and not stirre from him till his execution the next morning; for, after I had heard his own confession, I was resolved no conditions shoidd save his life: and so tooke order, that at the gates opening the next morning, hee should be carried to execution, which accordingly Avas performed. The next morning I had one from Sir Robert Kerr for a parley, who was within two miles staying for mee. I sent him word, " I would

" meet him where hee pleased, but I would first know " upon what termes and conditions." Before his man was retourned, hee had heard, that in the morning, very early, Geordie Bourne had been executed. Many vowes hee made of cruell revenge, and returned home full of griefe and disdaine, andfrom that time forward still plot- ted revenge. Hee knew the gentlemen of the country were altogether sacklesse, and to make open road upon the March would but shew his malice, and lay him open to the punishment due to such offences. But his practice was how to be revenged on mee, or some of mine.

" It was not long after, that my brother and I had intelligence that there was a great match made at foote-

ball, and the chiefe ryders were to be there. The place they were to meet at was Kelsy, and that day wee

heard it, was the day for the meeting. We presently e

Cl APPENDIX, NO. II.

called a coiinsaile, and after much dispute it was con-

cluded, that the likeliest place he was to come to, was

to kill the scoutes. And it was the moi-e suspected, for that my brother, before my coming to the office, for the

cattaile stolne out of the bounds, and as it were from under the walles of Barwicke, being refused justice (upon his complaint), or at least delaid, sent off the garrison into Liddisdale, and killed there the chief of- fender, which had done the wrong. " Upon this conclusion, there was order taken, that both horse andfoote should lye in ambush in diverse parts ofthe boundes, to defend the scoutes, and to give a sound blow to Sir Robert and his company. Before the horse

and foote were sett out with directions what to do, it was almost darke night, and the gates ready to be lockt. Wee parted, and as I was by myselfe, comeing to my house,

God put it into my mind, that it might well be, hee meant

destruction to mymen that I had sent out to gather tithes for mee at Norham, and theirrendezvous wasevery night to lye and sup at an ale-house in Norham. I presently caused my page to take horse, and to ride as fast as his horse could carry him, and to command my servants (which were in all eight) that, presently upon his coming to them, they should all change their lodging, and go streight to the castle, there to lye that night in straw and hay. Some of them were unwilling thereto, but dui-st not disobey; so altogether left their ale-house, and retired to the castle. They had not well settled theme- APPENDIX, NO. 11. cli

selves to sleep^ but they heard in the town a great alarm ; for Sir Robert and his company came streight to the ale- house, broke open the doors, and made enquiry for my servants. They were answered, that by my command

they were all in the castle. After they had searched

all the house, and found none, they feared they were

betrayed, and, with all the speede they could, made haste homewards again. Thus God blessed me from this bloody tragedy.

" All the whole March expected nightly some hurt to

be done ; but God so blessed mee and the government I

held, as, for all his fury, hee never drew drop of blood in

all my March, neither durst his theeves trouble it much

with stealing, for fear of hanging, if they were taken. Thus wee continued a yeare, and then God sent a meanes to bring things to better quiet by this occasion. " There had been commissioners in Barwicke, chosen by the Queene and King of Scottes, for the better quieting ofour Borders. By their industry they found a great number ofmalefactors guilty, both in England and Scot-

land ; and they tooke order, that the officers of Scotland should deliver such offenders, as were found guilty in

their jurisdictions, to the opposite officers in England, to

be detained prisoners, till they had made satisfaction for the goods they had taken out of England. The like order was taken with the wardens of England, and days pre-

fixed for the delivery of them all. And in case any of the

officers, on either side, should omit their duties, in not dii APPENDIX, XO, II.

delivering the prisoners at the dayes and places appointed, that then there should a course be taken by the so- veraignes, that what chiefe officer soever should offend herein, he himself should be delivered and detained, till he had made good what the commissioners had agreed upon.

The English officers did punctually, at the day and place, deliver their prisoners, and so did most of the officers of Scotland ; only the Lord of Bocleuch and Sir Ro- bert Kerr were faultie. They were complained of, and new dayes appointed for the delivery of their prisoners.

Bocleuch was the first that should deliver ; and hee fail- ing, entered himself prisoner into Barwicke, there to re- maine till those officers under his charge were delivered to free him. He chose for his guardian Sir William Sel- by, master of the ordinance at Barwicke. When Sir Ro- bert Kerr's day of delivery came, he failed too, and my Lord Hume, by the king's command, was to deliver him prisoner into Barwicke upon the like terms, which was performed. Sir Robert Kerr (contrary to all men's expectation) chose mee for his guardian, and home I brought him to my own house, after he was delivered to mee. I lodged him as well as I could, and tooke order for his diet, and men to attend on him, and sent him word that (although by his harsh carriage towards mee, ever since I had that charge, he could not expect any favour, yet) hearing so much goodness of him, that hee never broke his worde, if hee would give me his hand and ere- APPENDIX, NO. II. cUii

dit to be a true prisoner, hee would have no guard sett upon him, but have free liberty for his friends in Scot- land to have ingresse and regresse to him as oft as hee pleased. He tooke this very kindly at my handes, accepted of my offer, and sent me thankes. " St)me four dayes passed ; all which time his friends came into him, and hee kept his chamber. Then hee sent to mee, and desired mee, I would come and speake with

him, which I did ; and after a long discourse, charging and re-charging one another with wrong and injuries, at last, before our parting, we became good friends, with greate protestations, on his side, never to give mee occasion of unkindnesse again. After our reconciliation, hee kept his chamber no longer, but dined and supt with me. I tooke him abroad w ith mee at the least thrice a- weeke, a hunting, and every day we grew better friends.

Bocleuch, in a few days after, had his pledges delivered, and was set at liberty. But Sir Robert Kerr could not get his, so that I was commanded to carry him to Yorke, and there to deliver him prisoner to the archbishop, which accordingly I did. At our parting, he professed greate love unto mee for the kind usage I had shewn him, and that 1 would find the effects of it upon his delivery, which he hoped would be shortly.

*' Thus wee parted ; and, not long after, his pledges were gott, and brought to Yorke, and he sett at liberty.

After his retourne home, I found him as good as his word. We met oft at dayes of truce, and 1 had as good Cliv APPENDIX, NO. II.

justice as I could desire; and so we continued very kinde and good friends, all the tyme that I stayed in that March, which was not long." APPENDIX, NO. III. clv

APPENDIX, No. III.

MAITLAND'S COMPLAYNT,

THE THIEVIS OF LIDDISDAIL.

FROM PINKERTOn'S EDITION, COLLATED WITH A MS. OF MAIT- LAND'S poems, in the library of EDINBURGH COLLEGE.

Of Liddisdail the common theifis

Sa peartlie steillis now and reifis, That nane may keip

Horsej nolt, nor scheip, Nor yett dar sleip For their mischeifis. ;

clvi APPENDIX, NO. III.

Thay plainly throw the country rydis,

I trow the mekil devil thame gydis ! Quhair they onsett. Ay in thair gaitt,

Thair is na yet Nor dor, thame bydis.

leif rich nocht, quhair ever thay Thay j

Their can na thing be hid them fra ; For gif men wald Thair housis hald. Than wax they bald. To burne and slay.

Thay theifis have neirhand herreit hail, Ettricke forest and Lawderdail Now are they gane.

In Lawthiane ; And spairis nane That thay will waill.

Thay landis ar with stouth sa socht. To extreame povertye ar broucht, Thay wicked scrowis Has laid the plowis.

That nane or few is

'J hat are left oucht. APPENDIX, NO. III. clvii

Bot commoun taking of blak mail.

They that had flesche, and bread and aill. Now are sae wrakit, Made bair and nakit. Fane to be slaikit

With watter caill.

Thay theifs that steillis and tursis hame. * Ilk ane of them has ane to-name ;

Will of the Law is,

Hab of the Schawis : To mak bar wawis Thay thinke na schame.

Thay spuilye puir men of their pakis.

They leif them nocht on bed nor bakis : Baith hen and cok.

With reil and rok, The Lairdis Jok,

All with him takis.

" Owing to the Marchmen being divided into large clans, bearing the same sirname, individuals were usually distinguished by some epithet, derived from their place of residence, personal qualities, or de. scent. Thus, every distinguished moss-trooper had, what is here called, a to-name, or nom de guerre, in addition to his family name. ;

clviii APPENDIX, NO. III.

Thay leif not spindell, spoone, nor s))eit Bed, bosicr, blanket, sark, nor scheit Johne of the Parke

Ryps kist and ark ; For all sic wark

He is richt meit.

He is weil kend, John of the Syde ;

A greater theif tlid never ryde. He never tyris

For to brek byris ; Ouir muir and myris Ouir guide ane gyde.

Thair is ane, callet Clement's Hob,

Fra ilk pair wyfe reifis the wob.

And all the lave,

Quhatever they haife. The devil recave Thairfoir his gob.

To sic grit stouth quha eir wald trow it,

Bot gif some great man is allowit,

Rycht sair I trew,

Thocht it be rew :

Thair is sa few

That dar avow it. ; — ;

APPENDIX, NO. III. clix

Of suni great men they have sic gait. That redy are thame to debait, And will up weir Thair stolen geir

That nane dare steir

Thame air nor late.

Quhat causis theifis us ourgang,

Bot want of justice us amang ? Nane takis cair,

Thocht all for fear ; Na man will spair Now to do wrang.

Of stouth thocht now thay come gude speid, That nother of men nor God has dreid

Yet, or I die.

Sum sail thame sie, Hing on a trie Quhill thay be deid

Quo' Sir R. M. o/" Lethington, knicht. clx ArrKNDlX, NO. IV.

APPENDIX, No. IV.

BOND OF ALLIANCE,

OR FEUD STAUNCHING,

BETWIXT

THE CLANS OF SCOTT AND KER.

The battle of Melrose (see Introduction, p. xxi.) occasioned a deadly feud betwixt the names of Scott and Ker. The following indenture was designed to reconcile their quarrel. But the alliance, if it ever took ef-

fect, was not of long duration ; for the feud again broke out about 1553, when Sir Walter Scott was slain by the

Kers in the streets of Edinburgh.

" Thir indentures, made at Ancrum the 1 6th ofMarch,

1529 years, contains, purports, and bears leil and suith- APPENDIX, NO. IV. clxi

fast witnessing. That it is appointed, agreed, and finally accorded betwixt honourable men ; that is to say, Walter Ker of Cessford, Andrew Ker of Fairnieherst, Mark Ker of Dolphinston, George Kerr, tutor of Cessford, and An- drew Ker of Primesideloch, for themselves, kin, friends, mentenants, assisters, allies, adherents, and partakers, on the one part ; and Walter Scot of Branxholm, knight, Robert Scot of Allanhaugh, Robert Scot, tutor of How- paisly, John Scot of Roberton, and Walter Scot of Stirk- shaws, for themselves, their kin, friends, mentenants, servants, assisters, and adherents, on the other part ; in manner, form, and effect, as after follows : For staunching all discord and variance betwixt them, and for furth- bearing of the king's authority, and punishing trespasses, and for amending all slaughters, heritages, and steedings and all other pleas concerning thereto, either of these parties to others^ and for unitie, friendship, and concord, to be had in time coming, 'twixt them, of our sovereign

lord's special command : that is to say, either of the said

parties, be the tenor hereof, remits and forgives to others the rancour, hatred, and malice of their hearts; and the

saidWalter Scott of Branxholm shall gang, or cause gang,

at the will of the party, to the four head pilgrimages of

Scotland, and shall say a mass for the souls of umquhile Andrew Ker of Cessford, and them that were slain in his

company, in the field of Melrose; and, upon his expence,

shall cause a chaplain say a mass daily, when he is disposed, in what place the said Walter Ker and his friends

VOL. I. 1 clxii APPENDIX, KO. IV.

pleases, for the well of the said souls, for the space of five years next to come.—Mark Ker of Dolphinston, Andrew Kerr of Graden, shall gang at the will of the party, to the four head pilgrimages of Scotland, and shall gar say a mass for the souls of umquhile James Scot of Eskirk, and other Scots, their friends, slain in the field of Mel- rose ; and, upon their expense, shall gar a chaplain say a mass daily, when he is disposed, for the heal of their souls, where the said Walter Scot and his friends pleases, for the space of three years next to come : and the said Walter Scott of Branxholm shall marry his son and heir upon one of the said Walter Ker his sisters ; he paying therefor a competent portion to the said Walter Ker and his heir, at the sight of the friends of baith parties. And also, baith the saids parties bind and oblige them, be the faith and truth of their bodies, that they abide at the decreet and deliverance of the six men chosen arbiters, anent all other matters, quarrels, actiones, and debates, whilk either of ihem likes to propone against others betwixt the saids parties : and also the six arbiters are bound and obliged to decreet and deliver, and give forth their deliverance thereuntil, within the year and day after the date hereof —And attour, either of the saids parties bind and oblige them, by the faith and truth of their bodies, ilk ane to others, that they shall be leil and true to others, and neither of them will another's skaith, but they shall let it at their power, and give to others their best counsel, and it be asked ; and shall take leil and aeffald part ilk ane with others, with their kin. APPENDIX, NO. IV. elxiii

friends, servants, allies, and partakers, in all and sundry their actions, quarrels, and debates, against all that live and die may (the allegiance of our sovereign lord the king allenarly be excepted.)— And for the obliging and keeping all thir premises above written, baith the saids parties are bound and obliged, ilk ane to others, be the faith and truth of their bodies, but fraud or guile^ under the pain of perjury, men-swearing, defalcation, and breaking of the bond of deadly. And, in witness of the whilk, ilk ane to the procuratory of this indenture remain with the said Walter Scot and his friend, the said Walter Ker of Cessford has affixed his proper

seal, with his subscription manual, and with the sub-

scription of the said Andrew Ker of Fairnieherst, Mark Ker of Dolphinston, George Ker, tutor of Cessford, and Andrew Ker of Primesideloch, before these witnesses, Mr Andrew Drui-ie, Abbot of Melrose, and George Dou- glas of Boonjedward, John Riddel of that ilk, and Wil- liam Stewart.

Sic Subscribitur, Walter Ker of Cessford. Andrew Ker of Fairnieherst. M.\RK Ker. George Ker. Andrew Ker of Pi-imesideloch."

N. B. The four pilgrimages are Scoon, Dundee, Pais-

ley, and Melrose. ;

clxiv APPENDIX, NO. V.

APPENDIX, No. V.

ANE INTERLUDE

OF THE LAYING OF A GAIST.

This burlesque poem is preserved in the Bannatyne

MSS. It is in the same strain with the verses concerning the Gyr Carlme (Vol. II.) As the mention of Betto- kis Bowr occurs in both pieces, and as the scene of both is laid in East Lothian, they are perhaps composed by the same author. The humour of these fragments seems to have been directed against the superstitions of Rome but it is now become very obscure. Nevertheless, the verses are worthy of preservation, for the sake of the ancient language and allusions.

Listen lordis, I sail you tell, OfFane very grit marvell. Off Lord Fcrgussis gaist.

How mcikle yir Andre it clic:^!. :

APPENDIX, NO. V. clxv

Unto Beittokis hour.

The silly sawle to succour And he has written unto me,

Auld storeis for to se,

Gif it appinis him to meit.

How he sail conjiu-e the spreit :

And I haif red mony quars, Bath the Donet, qnd Dominus que pars, Ryme maid, and als redene,

Baith Inglis and Latene :

And ane story haif 1 to reid. Passes Bonitatem in the creid.

To conjure the littil gaist he mon haif

Of tod's tail ten thraif, And kast the grit holy water

With pater noster, pitter patter ;

And ye man sit in a compas. And cry, Harbert tuthless. Drag thou, and ye's draw,

And sit thair quhil cok craw. The compas mon hallowit be

With aspergis me Domine : The haly writ schawis als Thair man be hung about your hals Pricket in ane wool poik Of neis powder ane grit loik. Thir thingis mon ye beir,

Brynt in ane doggis eir. ; —

Clxvi APPENDIX, NO. V.

Ane pluck, ane pindill, and ane palme cors,

Thre tiiskis of ane auld hors. And of ane yallow wob the warp, The boddome of ane awld herp,

The heid of ane cuttit reill. The band of an awld quheill.

The taill of ane yield sow. And ane bait of blew wow, Ane botene, and ane brechame. And ane quhorle made of lame,

To luke out at the littil boir.

And cry, Crystis crosse, you befoir :

And quhen you see the littil gaist,

Cummand to you in all haist. Cry loud, Cryste eleisone.

And speir quhat law it levis on ?

And gif it sayis on Godis ley.

Than to the littil gaist ye say. With braid benedicite

—" Littil gaist, I conjure the.

With lierie and larie, Bayth fra God, and Sanct Marie,

First with ane fischis mouth. And syne with ane sowlis towth.

With ten pertane tais. And nyne knokis of windil strais. With thre heidis of curie doddy." And bid the gaist turn in a boddy. ; ; :

APPENDIX, NO. V. Clxvii

Then after this conjuration.

The littil gaist will fall in soun, And thair efter downly, Cryand mercy petously

Than with your left heil sane.

And it will nevir cum agane. As meikle as a mige amaist.*

He had a littil wee leg.

And it wes cant as any cleg. It wes wynd in ane wynden schet,

Baythe the handis and the feit

Suppose this gaist was litill

Yit it stal Godis quhitell ;

It stal fra peteous Abrahame,

Ane quhorle and ane quhim quhame ;

It stal fra ye carle of ye mone

Ane payr of awld yin schone ; It rane to Pencatelane,

And wirreit ane awld chaplane ;

This litil gaist did na mair ill But clok lyk a corn mill

And it wald play and hop.

About the heid ane stra strop ;

And it wald sing and it wald dance, Oure fute, and Orliance.

* Apparently some lines are here omitted. Clxviii APPENDIX, NO. V.

Quha conjurit the litrll gaist say ye f

Nane but the littil Spenzie fle.

That with her Avit and her ingyne,

Gart the gaist leif agane ;

And sune mareit the gaist the fle, And croun'd him King of Kandelie And they gat theme betwene Orpheus King, and Elpha Quene.*

To reid quha will this gentil geist,

Ye hard it not at Cockilby's feist.t

This seems to allude to the old romance of Orfeo and Heurodis, from which the reader wiH find some extracts, vol. II. The wife of

Orpheus is here caUed Elpha, probably from her having been extracted by the elves, or fairies.

•\ Alluding to a strange unintelligible poem in the Bannatyne MSS., called Cockelby's Sou: APPENDIX, NO. vr. clxix

APPENDIX, No. VI.

SUPPLEMENTAL STANZAS

TO COLLINS'S ODE

THE SUPERSTITIONS OF THE HIGHLANDS.

WILLIAM ERSKINK, Esq.

ADVOCATE.

The editor embraces this opportunity of presenting the reader with the following stanzas, intended to comme- morate some striking Scottish superstitions, omitted by

Collins in his ode upon that subject ; and which, if the editor can judge with impartiality of the production of a valued friend, will be found worthy of the sublime original. The reader must observe, that these verses form clxX APPENDIX, NO. YT. a continuation of the address, by Collins, to the author of Douglas, exhorting him to celebrate the traditions of

Scotland. They were first published in the Edinburgh

Magazine, for April, 1788.

Thy muse may tell, how, when at evening's close. To meet her love beneath the twilight shade. O'er many a broom-clad brae and heathy glade,

In merry mood the village maiden goes ;

There, on a streamlet's margin as she lies,

Chaunting some carrol till her swain ajipears. With visage deadly pale, in pensive guise.

Beneath a wither'd fir his form he rears !*

Shrieking and sad, she bends her eirie flight.

When, mid dire heaths, where flits the taper l)lue. The whilst the moon sheds dim a sickly light.

The airy funeral meets her blasted view ! When, trembling, wccdc, she gains her cottage low. Where magpies scatter notes of presage wide.

Some one shall tell, while tears in torrents flow.

That, just when twilight dimm'd the green hill's side. Far in his lonely shiel her hapless shepherd died.

" The wraith, or spectral appearance, of a person shortly to die, is

a firm article in the creed of Scottish superstition. Nor is it unknown

in our sister kingdom. See the story of the beautiful Lady Diana

tixth.—Aubreifs Miscellanies, p. 89. :

APPENDIX, NO. vr. clxxi

Let these sad sti'ains to lighter sounds give place !

Bid thy brisk viol warble measures gay !

For, see ! recall'd by thy resistless lay. Once more the Brownie shews his honest face. Hail, from thy wanderings long, mymuch-loved sprite!

Thou friend, thou lover of the lowly, hail !

Tell, in what realms thou sport'st thy merry night,

Trail'st the long mop, or whirl'st the mimic flail. Where dost thou deck thy much-disordered hall. While the tired damsel in Elysium sleeps.

With early voice to drowsy workman call.

Or lull the dame, while mirth his vigils keeps ?

'Twas thus in Caledonia's domes, 'tis said. Thou ply'dst the kindly task in years of yore

At last, in luckless hour, some erring maid

Spread in thy nightly cell of viands store : Ne'er was thy form beheld among their mountains more.

Then wake (for well thou canst) that wond'rous lay, How, while around the thoughtless matrons sleep. Soft o'er the floor the treach'rous fairies creep.

And bear the smiling infant far away : How starts the nurse, when, for her lovely child,

She sees at dawn a gaping idiot stare ! O snatch the innocent from demons vilde.

And save the parents fond from fell despair !

See Introduction, Ixxii APPENDIX, NO. YI.

In a deep cave the trusty menials wait, When from their hilly dens, at midnight's hour,

Forth rush the fairy elves in mimic state,

And o'er the moonlight-heath with swiftness scour :

In glittering arms the little horsemen shine ; Last, on a milk-white steed, with targe of gold, A fay of might appears, whose arms entwine

The lost, lamented child ! the shepherds bold* The unconscious infant tear from his unhallow^ed hold.

• For an account of the Fairj- superstition, see Introduction to the Tale of Tnmlanc. APPENDIX, NO. VII. clxxiii

APPENDIX, No. VII.

EXCOMMUNICATION OF BORDER ROBBERS. BY RICHARD FOX,

BISHOP OF DURHAM, IN THE TIME OF HENRY VII.

This very curious document, which contains some particulars highly illustrative of the state of Border manners, was given to the Edi-

tor by his valued friend, Richard Surtees, Esq. of Mainsforth, in the bishoprick of Durham, eminent for his knowledge of Border antiquities.

RICH. FOX. Bp. TEMP. H. J. MONITO CONTRA FAMOSOS LATRONES DE TYNDALL ET RYDSDALL.

RicARDUspermissionedivina Diinelm. Episcopus dilec-

tis Nobis Magro. Georg. Ogle, A.M. necnon universis et

singulis ecclesiarum parochialium infra Tyndalle et Rid-

dysdale nostrae dioces. constitutarem Rectoribiis et Vica-

riis necnon Capellarum et Cantanarum, inibi Capellanis

Curatis et non Curatis Salutem. Quia tam faraa quam no-

torietate facti referentibus ad aures nosti*as delatum est quod nonnulli Villas Villulas Hauielectas et alia loca de

Tyndale et Ryddisdalle inhabitantes nee divina neo hu- clxxiv APPENDIX, NO. VII.

mana jura timentes, quibus se illaqueatos esse (quod suni-

mopere dolemus) intelliguntau t saltern intelligere debent deeisdem Villis Villulis Hamelectisad inepiscopatuvillis,

villulis, haraelectis, ad et in episcopatum Dunelm. et co- mitatum Northumbriae aliaq. loca dictis locisde Tyndalle et Ryddisdalle confinia et adjacentia, Latronum, Rapien-

tiuni ac Depraedantium, more, per diuturnatempora saepe,

sa^pius, et saepissime, publice, et manifeste, nocte dieq.

incurrentes, prout adhuc indies, cotidie,. saepe, saepius, et

sa?pissime noctu dieq. publice et manifeste sic incurrunt, furta, latrocinia, rapinas, et depred ationes passim commit-

tentes, pecora et catalla in eisdem inventa furati deprae-

datiq. fuerunt, et ab eisdem ad partes et territoria de Tyndall et Ryddisdalle praedict. aliaq. loca eisdem con-

finia, ed libitum suarum voluntatum asportaverunt, fu- gaverunt, et abigerunt, prout adhuc indies nulli equidem

rei, quam, hujusmodi furtis, latrociniis,' rapinis, et de-

praedationibus, dediti, furantur, depraedantur, fugant et abigunt. Et quod ipso delicto deterius est, per tabernas,

et alia loca publica^ iniquitatibus, furtis, latrociniis, et de-

praedationibussuishujusmodigloriantesse talia commis-

sisse, et de caetero committere, palam et publice jactari non desinant; hisq. malis non contenti sed potius furtum

furto, latrocinium latrocinio, rapinam rapina, deprajda- tionem depraedationi, aliaq. mala malis accumulantes, in

hujusmodi furtorum latrociniorum, et depra?dationum

aggravationem, non solum ipsi furantur, verum etiam fu-

res et latrones et raptores quoscunq. ad ipsos confugien- APPENDIX, NO. VII. clxXV

tes, receptant, nutriunt, hospitantur, confovent et con tbr- tant; suosq.liberos, servientes,atq.famulosin hujusmodi latrociniorum, furtorum, depraedationum et rapinariim perpetratione, quod maxime detestandum est, educant, et exercitant, adeo ut furtum, latrociniunij depraeda- tionem, rapinam, aut robberiam hujusmodi committere, aut eidem, consentire non solum non vereantur, sed crassam, immo verius quaesitam ignorantiam praetendentes, et dictas rapinas, furtum et depraedationes, tanquam artem, unde victum suum querant, publice et manifeste profitentes, crimen esse non agnoscunt : Suntq. nonnulli viri in partibus praedictis, quorum quidam sunt ministri justitiae et regii justiciarii, qui eosdem fures, latrones, depi'edatores, et raptores, aliosq. malefactoi*es rectifi- care et justificare deberent, quidam vero sunt viri nobiles et potentes in confinibus et territoriis de Tyndalle et

Ryddisdalleprasdictis, aliisq. villis eisdem convicinis, circumvicinis, etadjacentibus degentes etcommorantes, qui lures, latrones, raptores, depraedatores praedictos ab hujusmodi criminibus prajdictis refraenare et impedire pos-

sent, si suas ad id manus, ut deberent, porrigerent ad- jutrices. Quorum omnium, viz. justitiae ministrormn, et aliorum, saltern nobilium etpotentiumin partibus, et territoriis de Tyndalle et Ryddysdalle praedictis, aliisq. vil-

lis et locis eisdem convicinis et circumvicinis adjacen-

tium, quidam conniventi oculo, quidam ex pacto et

collusione, quidam vero propter lucrum, quod cum eis participant, nonnulli siquidem propter amoreni, favorem. Clxxvi APPENDIX, NO. VII familiaritatem, affinitatem, et sanguinis conjunctionem^ necnon, nominis, indemnitatem hujusmodi furtis^ latrociniis,rapinis,et depraedationibus aliquandotacite, inter- dum etenim expresse consentientes, fures ipsos, latrones, et depraedatores per eorum terras et districtus cum rebus, pecoribus et catallis, quae furati sunt, liberum habere transitura, scienter tolerant et permittant ; ac nonnun- quam eosdem cum rebus, pecoribus, et catallis raptis, depraedatis, et furti ablatis receptarunt, prout adhuc recipiunt indies et receptant, non ignorantes receptatores hujusmodi quoscunq. non minoripoena dignos quam raptores, fures, latrones, et praedones : Nam si non esset qui foveret, reciperet, et confortaret, nullus rapinam, latro- cinimn, depraedationes hujusmodi coramitteret, commit- tereve auderet: Eodemq. delicto singulas villas, villulas, ham^electas dictarum partium de Tyndall et Ryddisdall

laborare intelleximus, quod maxime abhorrendum est ; nam latrones, fures, raptores, depraedatores famosos et manifestos sic, ut praefertur, recipiunt, hospitantur, fo- vent, et nutriunt, ac inter eos et cum eisdem in partibus praesentibus, ut vicinos suos familiares, habitare permit- tunt, et ad eadem facinora reiterando invitant, et con- fortant publice, palam, et manifeste : Compluresq. capellanos, saepe nominatarum partium et territoriorum de

Tyndalle et Ryddysdalle, publicos et manifestos concu- binarios, iiTegulares, suspensos, excommunicatos, et in- terdictos, necnon literarum penitus ignaros, adeo ut per decennium celebrantes, nee ipsa quidem verba sacramen- APPENDIX, NO. VII. clxxvii

talia, uti quibusdam eorum opponentes^ expert! sumus,

legere sciant ; nonnuUos etiam non ordinatos, sed sacer-

dotii effigiera duntaxat praetendentes^ non modo in locis

sacris et dedicatis, verum etiam in prophanis et interdic-

tis ac miserabiliter ruinosis ; necnon vestimentis ruptis,

laceratis, et faedissimis, nee divino, immo nee huraano

ofBcio aut servitio dignis, quibus, deum contemnentes,

induti Divina celebrare, Sacraq. et Sacramentalia mini-

strare intelleximus. Dicti proeterea capellani supradictis

furibus, latronibus, deprsedatoribus, receptatoribus, et

raptoribus manifestis et famosis, sacramenta et sacramentalia ministrant, sine debita restitutione aut animo

restituendi, ut ex facti evidentia constat, sicq. eos sine cautione de restituendo, ecclesiasticae sepulturge, cum ex sacrorum canonum, et sanctorum patrum institutis haec

facere districte prohibentur, passim committant, in ani-

marum suarum grave periculum, aliorumq. Christi fide- lium exemplum pemiciosum plurimorumq. spoliatorum

et privatorum bonis, rebus, pecoribus, et catallis suis hujusmodi, damnum non modicum et gravamen. Nos igitur animarum hujusmodi malefactorum saluti providere cupientes, spoliatorumq. et privatorum hujusmodi jactu-

ris et dispendiis paternali affectu compatientes et quan-

tum in nobis est, remedium in hac parte apponere, ut tenemur, volentes, vobis omnibus et singulis Rectoribus,

Vicariis, Capellanis, Curatis, et non Curatis prasdictis te- nere praesentium, invirtutesanctae obedientiaefirmiterin- jungendo mandamus, quatenus proximis diebus domini-

VOL. I. ni flxxviii APPJ^NDIX, KO. Yll.

cisetfestivis, intermissarum etaliorum divinorumsolem- nia in ecclesiis et capellis vestris, dum major in eisdem aderit populimultitudo,omnesetsingulo9fureS;, latrones, raptores, pracdones, depraedatores, et eos praesertim quos famosos et manifestos latrones, raptores, et depraedatores fuisse et esse intelleximuSj quorum nomina in prassenti rescripto sunt descripta, perenqitorie moneatis, quos nos etiam tenore praBsentium primo, secundo, et tertio, ac peremtorie monemus, ut ipsi omnes et singuli ab hujus-

modi incursionibus, furtis;, latrociniis, rapinis, depraedationibus de caetero se abstineant et desistant, sub paena majorisexcommunicationis sententia, quam ex sacrorum canonum institutis incurrunt, sicq. eos et eorum quemlibet incurrere volumus ipso faeto.

Gitetis insuper, seu eitari faciatis peremtorie omnes et singulosfamososetmanifestos fures, latrones^ raptores, et depraedatores, quonmi nomina sunt in dorso praesentis

schedulae sive rescripti descripta, et eorum quemlibet,

quod compareant, sicq. quilibet eorum compareat coram nobis aut nostro in hac parte, commissario in Galilea

Ecclesias nostrae Cathedralis Dunelm. locoq. consistoriali ejusdem, sexto die post citationem,eis et eorum cuilibet, in hac parte factam, si juridicus fuerit, alioquin proximo die juridico extunc sequente, quo die nos aut commis- sarium nostrum hujusmodi ibidem ad jura reddend. hora consueta protribunali sedere contigerit, certis articulis et interrogatoriis, meram animarum suarum salutem et cor- rectionem concernentibus, commissario eisdem et eorum APPENDIX, NO. VII. Clxxix

cuilibet in eorum adventu ex officio nostro mero objici- endis personaliter responsuri et parituri. Moneatis insuper sic, ut prasmittitur, peremptorie omnes et slngulos ministros justitiae, cseterosq. viros nobiles et potentes^ dictas partes et territoria de Tyndall et Ryddysdall, et loca vicina et circumjacentia inhabitantes, necnon omnes et singulos Capellanos, Curatos et non Curatos in eisdem partibus et territoriis de Tyndall et Ryddysdall divina celebrantes, quatenus ipsi justitise ministri et viri nobiles et potentes omnes et singulos fures et latrones, necnon raptores et depr^datores, in et ad partes et territoria de Tyndall et Ryddysdall cum rebus, pecoribus et catallis furtive oblatis confugientes, necnon omnes et singulos fures, latrones, et depra;datores in eisdem partibus et territoriis de Tyndall et Ryddysdall commoran- tes et degentes, praesertim famosos, publicos, notorios, et rnanifestos nuUatenus foveant, nutriant, aut confor- tent, hospitentur, aut manuteneant, immo eosdem fures, latrones, et depraedatores quoscunq. ab eisdem partibus et territoriis de Tyndall et Ryddysdall amoveant, sicq. amoveri faciant et procurent, seu saltem eosdem fures, latrones, deprasdatores, et raptores quoscunq. capiant, sicq. capi facient eosdemq. rectificent et justificent.

Capellani vero, Curati, et non Curati in eisdem partibus et territoriis divina celebrantes, hujusmodi fures, latrones, et depraedatores, saltem publicos, notorios, et manifestos ad sacramenta paenitentiae, eucharistiae, se- pulturae, caeteraq. sacramenta aut sacramentalia sine CIXXX APPENDIX, NO. YII.

debita restitutione spoliatis facta aut siifficienti cautione

(le restituendo praestita, nisi in mortis articulo, et tunc ad sacramenta paenitentiae et eucharistiae duntaxat, non autem ad sepulturam, sub paena suspensionis ab officio et beneficio, nuUatenus admittant.

Desiderantur sequentia, et conclusio, cum transgresso-

rum nommibns propter hiatum qxt'mq. foliorum i?i registro.

TESTIMOMALIS LITERA DNI. EPISCOPI SUPER ABSOLU- TIONE QUORUNDAM LATRONUM, ET INJUNCTIONES.

RicARDUS permissione divina Dunelm, Episcopus

universis et singulis Rectoribus, Vicariis, Capellanis,

Curatis, et non Curatis quibuscunq. curam animaruni

habentibus, infra territorium de Tyndall et Ryddysdall

nostrae dioces. Salutem, gratiam, et benedictionem.

Sciatis Sandy Charelton, Crysty Milborn, Howy Mil- born, Atkin Milborn, filium Willielmi Milbom, Laury Robeson, Davy Robeson, Sandy Robeson, Gilly Tod of ye Crake-aller of Smebemouth, George Tod, Rouly Tod, Tammy Tod, Sandy Tod of ye Shawe, George Mershell, Sandy Hunter, a sententia excommunicatio-

nis, quam in eosdem, pro eorum contumatia proraul- gavimus, per nos absolutes esse, et communioni homi-

num ac sacris ecclesiae restitutos, seq. nostras correctioni humiliter submittentes, injunctiones, salutaremve sus-

cepisse paenitentiam, videlicet ut de caetero rapinam, furtum, aut latrocinium publice, manifeste, vel occulte APPENDIX, NO. VII. clxxxi

non committant, nee aliqiiis eorum commlttat, aut talia committenti auxilium, consilium, vel favorem praestent, nee aliquis eorum preestet, seu talia committeutium consilium quovismodo celent seu celet, celarive procurent seu procuret. Item quod post diem Merc, proxime fu- turum, viz. 26 diem mensis Septembris jam instant non incedant nee aliquis eor. ineedat pedes aut eques indic- tus subicinio Angliee a Jacke aut galea, Anglice a Salel or a Knapescall, aut aliis armis defensivis quibusc. nee. equitent aut eor. aliquis equitet super equo aut equa cujus valor, communi hominum aBStimatione, excedet six solidos et octo denarios, nisi contra Scotos vel alios regis inimicos. InjungiiTius praeterea quod postquam ingressi fuerint vel eor. aliquis ingressus f uerit cajmite- rium, ecclesias vel capellse cujuscunque infra territorium de Tynedall et Riddisdall ad divina inibi audiend. vel orationis inibi faciend. seu alia qua^cunq. faciend. abjiciant seu deponant, sicq. eor. quilibet abjiciat et de- ponat arma invasiva qua;c. si quae habeant, si ad longi- tudinem unius cubiti se extendant et quamdiu fuerint seu ali quis eor. fuerit infra eand. ecl'^"^- seu capell. aut camiter. ejusd. cum nullo, sermonem aut verbum ha- beat nisi cum Curato aut Sacerdote illius eccl'^ vel ca- pellae sub paena excomm. majoi'is quam in eos et eorum quenilibet casu quo his nostris injunctionibus aut uni eor. non paruerint cum effectu exnunc prout extunc et extunc prout exnunc proraulgamus, in scriptis justi- tia mediante vobis igitur, &c. Dat. in castro n'° de

Norham sub s. n"^"- 2.5 die mens. Sept. A. D. 1 498. .Ixxxii APPENDIX, NO. VIII.

APPENDIX, No. VIII.

DOUBLE OF THE CONTRACT

BETWIXT THE

KING AND SEVERAL OF HIS SUBJECTS.

[The original of this curious brief, by which the Borderers renounced

their vocation of theft and robbery, is in the hands of the Editor,

whose ancestor is one of the parties subscribing. Similar bonds

were doubtless executed by tlie other clans ; among whom copies would be distributed for their subscription. This appears to have

referred chiefly to clan of Scott. the ]

We noblemen, barons, landit gentilmen, and uthers, under subscryveing, deiply considering with ourselves the wrackfull and intolerable calamities soe long sustained be us, our frends, our servants, and inhabitants, upon proper lands and heretages, at the hands of theives and murtherers, within the Highlands and Bordours ; whereby our bloods have been cruelly shed, our goods APPENDIX, NO. VI 11. clxxxiii be opin depredation violentlle reft and spulzied, and our most plentifull and profitable roumes, for fear of their incursions and oppressions, left desolat and desert, without tennent or inhabitant, to our inexcuseable reproach and shameful wrack, if wee sail any longer ne- glect to use sic lawfull and allowable remedies as God, our honor, and the memorable examples of our worthie predecessors, still extant in the records of ther days, craves at our hands, for the repressing of their inso-

lence : And, considering therwithall, the royall and

princelie disposition of our most gracious soverane lord, utterit everie way for the suppressing of this infamous

byke of lawless limmers, and quhat earnest and faith-

full dutie our ranks and places craves of us, for the fur-

tlierance of his Majestiesmosthonorableresolution at this

tyme, for the extermination of sic a venime, whereby

our oursights hithertill has bein na litle hinder to the good success of the great care and paynes tane alwayes

be his highness and his secret counsell, to work the said

effect : Thairfore, and for remeid of our bypast slouth

that way, in the fear of God, and with his Majesties

gracious ajjprobation and allowance, we all and everie

ane of us, have solemnly avowit, sworne, and protestit,

like as, be the tenor heirof we avow, swear, and protest,

upon our consciences and honors, that, as we ai-e in

hearts trew and faithfull, and obedient subjects, to the

King's Majestie, our sovereign lord and his authoritie,

and alwayes answerable to his hienes laws ; so, in our ;

Clxxxiv APPENDIX, NO. Vlll.

hearts, we abhorre, dampne, and detest all treason, murther, fire-ryseing, reviseing of women, thift, resset of thift, fortifeieng or assisting with theives, shedding of true mens blood, common and manifest oppression, resset of persons excommunicat, or at the home, for criminall causes, with the authors and committers thereof whatsumever ; in further taken whereof, Ave bind and obleis us, our aires and successors of our lands and heretages, to our soverane lord and his successors, that, within ten dayes after our subscription to the present, we sail discharge, and be oppin proclamation at the mercat-croces of heid-burrowes within the shrifdomes, quherin the theives and limmers dwell, as also, be particular intimation to themselfs, give up all bands of friendship, kyndnes, oversight, maintenance^ or assure- ance, if ony we have, with common theives and broken clans or branches, unanswereable to his hienes lawes and sail, fra then furth, affauldlie and truelie, joyne and concurre together, als weill in action as 'in heart, to the pursute, with fire and sword, of all and whatsumever within this realme, of whatsumever clane, qiia- litie, or surname, who being charged, be opin procla- macione, to compeir to answer to complaints, and to relieve ther masters at his majestic and true mens Iiands, ai"e or sail for ther disobedience be denunced fugitives and outlawes, together with whatsoever ther partakers, supliers, and recepters, and all sic other, as frae the tyme they be denunced fugitives, sail furnish to them. APPENDIX, NO. VIII. clxXXV ther wyfes or families, meat, drink, herbore, or other confortquhatsuraever : As lykewayeswe bind and obleis us, in maner foresaid, that if any persone, dwelling within our houses, upon our lands, within our tackes, steadings, roumes, portiounes, bailleries, or other office or jurisdiction quhatsumever, commits ony of the crymes before expreimit, or any uther punishable be lyfe or member, we, or any of us, under quhom the said persone dwells, being requu'ed thereto be his majesties letters, valyentnes, or charges, or be his highnes consell or justice, sail neither directlie, nor indirectlie, give any warning or advertisement to him, quherby he may

eschew his taking ; but trewlie and efFauldlie sail apprehend, bring and present him to underly his tryell of the cryme quherofhe is dilatit, upon fiftein dayes warne- ing, without shift or excuse quhatsumever, as we sail ansuer to his majestie upon our honors, and under the paynes contained in the generall bond and acts of parliament quhatsumever ; and sail be coniptable to our soverane lord and his hienes thesaurer, for their escheats, in cace they be convict ; and, in cace the persone or persons sa dilatit, becomes fugitives, wherby we cannot apprehend them to be presentit, we sail expell, put and hold them furth of our bounds, heretages, tacks, and steidings, roumes, bailliaries, and jurisdictions quhatsumever, togither with ther wyfes, bairnes, and families, and sail take fra them their stocke and steiding, and put in other persones to occupy the same ; and if it sail happin tlie saids malefactors to resort or come clxxxvi APPENDIX, NO. VIII.

again Avithin our bounds, or be sufferit to remain therein, with our -witting, twelff hours togithir, or to repair with our knowledge to oppin mercat unapprehendit, in that cace Ave grant and confes us to be culpable of quhatsumever crymes or skaithes committit be them at any time before or therefter : And if it shall happen at any tyme heirefter, ony creatures, rebells to our soverane lords authoritie,for criminall causes, to repair within our bounds, or any pairt of the shirriftUome quharein we dwell, we sail be readie to ryse and concurre, with our freinds and forces, to ther pursute, till they be either apprehendit and presented to justice, or put out of the shi- riffdome quharein Ave dwell ; moreover, none of us her-

after sail tryst or assure with any declared theeves or fugitives, but quhensoever any effray of theeves or reivers happens Avithin our bounds or jurisdictions forsaids, Ave

sail at the affrayer forray be ourselves, our servants, kin,

freinds, and sae many partakers as Ave may get, ryse,

folloAV, and pursue the saids theeves and reivers, at the outermost of our poAver, as Ave wold doe to the rescue of our OAvne proper goods in cace they were in the lyke danger,being ahvayes Avarned thereto, be the scout-bail-

lie in the countrie, requisitione of partie, or otherwayes

quhatsumever : And if it be found, that Ave ly still at sic-

like effrayes, and suffers the saids theeves and rubbers to pass throw our boundis, Avithoutpursueingthem and making uther thorture or impediment we may, in that cace

Ave accept on us the guiltiness of quhatsumever theft or

uther cryme that they commit, asperters Avith them theria APPENDIX, NO. VIII. clxxxvii

and punisheable therefore, conforme to the act of par-

liament : And if it shall happin any stowth-reifF or

oppression to be committed at any tyme heirefter, upon any his hienes subjects, be any inhabitants with-

in our boundis and jurisdictionis forsaids, the same being notified to us be the owners of the goods, or any uther follower therof in ther names, and the persone and place showin to us be quhom the gudes are stol- len, and quhar they are resett within our boundis, we sail, iramediatlie therefter, be ourselves, or be some speciall freind or servant, ayde and addresse us to the said place, and finding the goods ther, shall sie them rendered to the follower, without gratitude or good dfiid, and therewith sail apprehend the theif, if he be present on the ground, or can be found within our bounds, then, or at any tyme therefter, and present him

to his majestie, or to his justice, to be punished accord-

ing to his merit ; or, if we cannot find him, we sail in- timate his name to the shrifF, Stewart, or wardane, to be denuneed fugitives be them at the mercat-croce of the next heidburgh, that he, his wyfe, and familie, therefter may be used in manner foresaid : Likewayes, that nane of us heirefter sail, aither opinlie or privilie, for any theif-hider, entertainer, or resetter, of theft or theftous goods, assist nor defend them directlie nor in-

directlie, solisit for their impunitie, or bear grudge, rancoure, or quarrell againes any man for their dila-

tione, apprehension, or pursute in any sort, under the clxXXviii APPENDIX, NO. VIII.

paine of infame and acceptance upon us of the guilti- nes of the said cryme, in cace they be convict : And if it sail happen us, or any of us, at ony tyme heirefter, to meit -with ony notorious theif or lymmer, whom we may tak, we sail not faillie to apprehend, keip, and de- taine him, in sure capptivitie and firmance, unfred or set to libertie, upon quhatsumever band, promise, res-

titutione, or assurance, he can giue us ; but sail present him to his majestic, his counsell, or justice, to be punished for his offence, under the paine, likewayes, to be repute culpable of his theftuous deids, and punishable accordinglie : And finallie, that we ourselves and all sic persons quhatsumever, as dwells upon our lands and others forsaids, sail alwayes be answerable to our soverane lord and his authoritie, and sail compeir before his hieness and his counsell, quhensoever we shall happin to be charged for that effect, under the paiiies contained in the acts of caution found for observation of the generall bands : And gif for execution of any of the premisses, we, or any of us, be quarrelled be ony clan, brensche, or surname, to quhom the theeves per- taines, we bind and obleis us and our foresaids, affauldlie and truelie, to concurre and assist with others against the brensch, surname or clann that quarrells, as if it

were our proper caus ; and sail esteem the feid, if any follow, equall to us all. In witness quhareof, our soverane lord, in taken of his said approbation, and allowance of the premisses, and evere ane of us, for us APPENDIX, NO. VIII. clxxxix

and our forsaids, have subscry vit this present, to be in-

sert and registrat in the books of the secret counsell, and to have the strength of ane decreit thereof against the contraveiners. Wherunto our subscriptions sail

serue for ane sufficient warrand for everie ane of us. This band, written by William Wyllie, clerk. Sic sub-

scribitur. James R. Lenox, Huntlie, Montross Can-

cellarius, Angus, Herys, Caithness, Traquair, Lochin-

var, Johnstoun, Drumlangric, David Scot of Stobneill. Apud Jedburgh, 29th March, l6l2, Walter Scot of

Goldielands, Walter Scot of Tishelaw, Robert Scot, his sone, James Gledstanes of Cocklaw, William Elliot of Falneish, Robert Scot of Satsheills, Walter Scot of

Harden, Sym Scot of Bonniton, and William Scot in

Burnfute, in the Water of Aill, with our hands at the

pen, led be James Primerose, clerk of consell, at our

comand. J. Primerose. Robert Scott in Stirkfield, with hand at the pen, led be William Wyly, wryter of

this band. William Scot of Hartwoodmyres, Philip Scot of Dryhope, Robert Scot of Aikwood, William Scot of Howpasly. Jedburgh, 29th of October, l6l2, William Scot of Whythaught, James Scot of Gilmers- cleugh, and John Dalgleish of Douchar, with our hands

at the pen, led be William Wylie, clerk. W. Wyllie.

MINSTRELSY

OF THE SCOTTISH BORDER.

PART FIRST.

rbi'iStonral T^allatus.

SIR PATRICK SPETs^S.

One edition ofthe present ballad is well known; having appeared in the Reliques of Ancient Poetry, and having been inserted in almost every subsequent collection of

Scottish songs. But it seems to have occurred to no editor, that a more complete copy of the song might be procured. That, with wliich the public is now presented, is taken from two MS. copies,* collated with several verses, recited by the editor's friend, Robert Hamilton,

Esq, advocate, being tlie 1 6th, and the four which follow. But, even with the assistance of the comxnon copy, the ballad seems still to be a fragment. The cause of

Sir Patrick Spens' voyage is, however, pointed out dis-

tinctly ; and it shews, that the song has claim to high antiquity, as referring to a very remote period in Scot- tish history.

• That the public might possess this curious fragment as entire as possible, the editor gave one of these copies, which seems the most perfect, to Mr Robert Jamieson, to be inserted in his collection. It algo has been published, with many curious illustrations, in Mr John Finlay's Scottish Historical and Romantic Ballads. Glasgow, 1808.

VOL. I. A —

4 MINSTRELSY OF

Alexander III. of Scotland died in 1285 ; and, for the misfortune of his country, as well as his own, he had been bereaved of all his children before his decease. The crown of Scotland descended upon his grand-daughter, Margaret, termed, by our historians, the Maid of Nor- ttioy. She was the only offspring of a marriage betwixt Eric, King of Norway, and Margaret, daughter of Alex- ander III. The kingdom had been secured to her by the Parliament of Scotland held at Scone, the year preceding her grandfather's death. The regency of Scot- land entered into a congress with the ministers of the King of Norway, and with those of England, for the establishment of good order in the kingdom of the infant Princess. Shortly afterwards, Edward I. conceived the idea ofmatching his eldest son, Edward, Prince of Wales, with the young Queen of Scotland. The plan was eagerly embraced by the Scottish nobles ; for, at that time, there was little of the national animosity, which afterwards blazed betwixt the countries, and they patriotically looked forward to the important advantage, of uniting the island of Britain into one kingdom. But Eric of Norway seems to have been unwilling to deliver up his daughter ; and, while the nego- ciations were thus protracted, the death of the Maid of Norway effectually crushed a scheme, the consequences of which might have been, that the distinction betwixt

England and Scotland would, in our day, have been as obscure and uninteresting as that of the realms of the heptarchy. Hailes' Ajinah. Fordun, &:c. THE SCOTTISH BOllDER. 5

The unfortunate voyage of Sir Patrick Spens may really have taken place, for the purpose of bringing back

the Maid of Norway to her own kingdom ; a purpose which was probably defeated by the jealousy of the

Norwegians, and the reluctance of King Eric. I find

no traces of the disaster in Scottish history ; but, when we consider the meagre materials, whence Scottish his-

tory is drawn, this is no conclusive argument against the truth of the tradition. That a Scottish vessel, sent upon such an embassy, must, as represented in the ballad, have been freighted with the noblest youth in the kingdom, is sufficiently probable ; and, having been de- layed in Norway, till the tempestuous season was come on, its fate can be no matter of surprise. The ambas-

sadors, finally sent by the Scottish nation to receive their Queen, were Sir David Wemyss of Wemyss, and Sir Michael Scot of Balwearie; the same, whose knowledge, surpassing that of his age, procured him the reputation of a wizard. But, perhaps, the expedition of Sir Patrick Spens was previous to their embassy. The introduction of the King into the ballad seems a devia- tion from history ; unless we suppose, that Alexander was, before his death, desirous to see his grand-child and heir.

The Scottish monarchs were much addicted to " sit in Dunfermline town," previous to the accession of the Bruce dynasty. It was a favourite abode of Alexander

himself, who was killed by a fall from his horse, in the vicinity, and was buried in the Abbey of Dunfermline. 6 MINSTRELSY OF

There is a beautiful German translation of this ballad, as it appeared in the Reliques, in the Volk-Lieder of Professor Herder ; an elegant work, in which it is only to be regretted, that the actual popular songs of the Germans form so trifling a proportion. The tune of Mr Hamilton's copy of Sir Patrick Spens is different from that to which the words are commonly sung ; being less plaintive, and having a bold nautical turn in the close. — f

THE SCOTTLSII BORDER.

SIR PATRICK SPENS.

The King sits in Dunfermline town.

Drinking the blude-red wine ; " O* whare will I get a skeely skipper, !" ^' To sail this new ship of mine

O vip and spake an eldern knight, Sat at the King's right knee,

*' Sir Patrick Spens is the best sailor, " That ever saiPd the sea."

Our King has written a braid letter.

And seaFd it with his hand.

And sent it to Sir Patrick Spens, Was walking on the strand.

* In singing, the interjection O is added to the second and fourth lines. -j- Skcc!;/ Skipj)er—Skilful mariner. ; ;

MINSTllELSY OF

" To Noroway, to Xoroway, " To Noroway o'er the faem " The King''s daughter of Noroway, " 'Tis thou maun bring her hame."

The first uord that Sir Patrick read,

Sae loud loud laughed he ; The neist word that Sir Patrick read. The tear blinded his eV.

" O wha is this has done this deed.

" And tauld the King o' me, " To send us out, at this time of the year,

" To sail upon the sea ?

" Be it wind, be it weet, be it hail, be it sleet, " Our ship must sail the faem ; " The King's daughter of NoroAvay, " 'Tis we must fetch her hame."

They hoysed their sails on ]Monendav morn,

Wi" a' the sjieed they may They hae landed in Noroway,

V])on a "Wodcnsday. — ; !

THE SCOTTISH llOUDEll. 1

They hadna been a week, a week, In Noroway, but twae. When that the lords o' Noroway Began aloud to say,

" Ye Scottishmen spend a our King's goud,

" And a' our Queenis fee."

" Ye lie, ye lie, ye liars loud ! " Fu' loud I hear ye lie.

" For I brought as much white monie, '< As gane* my men and me, " And I brought a half-fouf o' gude red goud, " Out o'er the sea wi' me.

" Make ready, make ready, my merrymen a' " Our gude ship sails the morn.'* " Now, ever alake, my master dear,

" I fear a deadly storm !

" I saw the new moon, late yestreen, " Wi' the auld moon in her arm

" And, if we gang to sea, master,

" I fear we'll come to harm."

• Ganc—SuKce. f //^f//-/o!(—the eiyhtli part of a peck. ;

10 MINSTRELSY OF

They hadna sail'd a league, a league, A league but barely three,

When the lift grcAv dark, and the wind blew loud.

And gurly grew the sea.

The ankers brak, and the topmasts lap,*

sic It was a deadly storm ;

And the waves cam ©""er the broken ship.

Till a' her sides were torn.

" O where will I get a gude sailor, " To take my helm in hand,

" Till I get up to the tall top-mast,

" To see if I can spy land ?''

" O here am I, a sailor gude, " To take the helm in hand,

'' Till you go up to the tall top-mast

" But I fear you'll ne''er spy land."

He hadna gane a step, a step, A step but barely ane. When a bout flew out of our goodly ship.

And the salt sea it came in.

" Lap—Sprang. THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 11

" Gae, fetcli a Aveb o' the silken claith,

" Another o"" the twine, " And wap tliem into our ship^s side,

" And let na the sea come in."

They fetched a web o' the silken claith,

iVnother o' the twine,

And tliey wapped them round that gude ship's side,

But still the sea came in.

O laith, laith, were oiu* gude Scots lords

To weet their cork-heePd shoon !

But lang or a'' the play was play"'d, They wat their hats aboon.

And mony was the feather-bed. * That flatter''d on the faem ; And mony was the gude lord's son, That never mair cam hame.

The ladyes wrang their fingers white. The maidens tore their hair,

A' for the sake of their true loves ; For them they'll see nae mair.

" Flattered— Fluttered, or rather floated, on the foam. 12 MINSTRELSY Ol"

O lang, iang, may the ladyes sit, Wrjtheir fans into their hand,

Before they see Sir Patrick Spens

Come saiUng to the strand !

And lang, lang, may the niaidens sit,

Wi' their goud kaims in their hair,

A' waiting for their ain dear loves !

For them they'll see nae mair.

O forty miles off' Aberdeen,

'Tis fifty fathoms deep,

And there lies gude Sir Patrick Spen;

Wi' the Scots lords at his feet. —

THE SCOTTISH BORDEK. 13

NOTES

SIR PATRICK SPENS.

To send us out at tJiis time of the year, To sail vjmn the sea ?—P. 8. v. 3. By a Scottish act of Parliament, it was enactetl, that no ship should be freighted out of the kingdom, with any staple goods, betwixt the feast of St Simon's day and Jude and Can-

dlemas. Ja?iies III. Farliainent 2d, c/iap. 15. Such was the

terror entertained for navigating the North Seas in winter.

When a boutjlew out of our goodly ship.—P. 10, v. 5.

I believe a modern seaman would say, a plank had started ; which must have been a frequent incident during the infancy of ship-building. Mr Finlay, however, thinks it rather means that a bolt gave way. The remedy applied seems to be that mentioned in Cook's Voyages, when, upon some occasion, to stop a leak, which could not be got at in the inside, a quilted sail was brought under the vessel, which, being drawn into the leak by the suction, prevented the entry of more water. Chaucer says,

" There n'is na new giiise that it ua'ai old." U 14 MINSTRELSY OF

Oforty miles o//' Aberdeen.—P. 12. v. 3. This concluding verse differs in the three copies of the ballad, Avhich I have collated. The printed edition bears,

" Have owre, have owre to Aberdour ;"

And one of the IMSS. reads,

•' At the back of auld St Johnstone Dykes."

But, in a voyage from Norway, a shipwreck on the north coast seems as probable as either in the Frith of Forth, or

Tay ; and the ballad states the disaster to have taken place out of sight of land. THE SCOTTISH BORDEl?. 15

AULD MAITLAND.

NEVER BEFORE PUBLISHED.

Th I s ballad, notwithstanding its present appearance, has a claim to very high antiquity. It has been preserved by tradition ; and is, perhaps, the most authentic instance ofa long and very old poem, exclusively thus preserved.

It is only known to a few old people upon the sequestered banks of the Ettrick ; and is published, as written down from the recitation of the mother of Mr James

Hogg,* who sings, or rather chaunts it, with great animation. She learned the ballad from a blind man, who died at the advanced age of ninety, and is said to have been possessed of much traditionary knowledge. Al- though the language of this poem is much modernized, yet many words, which the reciters have retained with-

out understanding them, still pi-eserve traces of its an-

* This old woman is still alive, and at present resides at Craig of

Douglas, in Selkirkshire. 1805 She is now deceased. 1820, 16 MINSTRELSY OF

tiquity. Such are the words springals (corruptedly pro-

nounced springTvalls,) sowies, porfcullize, and many other appropriate terms of war and chivalry, which could never have been introduced by a modern ballad-maker.

The incidents are striking and well managed ; and they

are in strict conformity with the manners of the age in which they are placed. The editor has, therefore, been

induced to illustrate them, at considerable length, by parallel passages from Froissart, and other historians of the period to which the events refer. The date of the ballad cannot be ascertained with any degree of accuracy. Sir Richard Maitland, the hero of the poem, seems to have been in possession of his estate about 1250 ; so that, as he survived the commencement of the wars betwixt England and Scotland, in 1296, his prowess against the English, in defence of his castle of Lauder or Thirlestane, must have been exerted during hisextremeold age. He seems to have been distinguished for devotion as well as valour ; for, A.D. 124-9, Dominus Ricardus de Mautlant gave to the Abbey of Dryburgh,

" Terras sims de Haubentsidc, in territorio suo de Thirle-

" staiie, pro salute aninia: sua;, et sponsce sua;, antecesso-

" rum suorum et successorum sitorum, in pei-pelutwi."* He

• There exists also an indenture, or bond, entered into by Pa- trick, Abbot of Kelsau, and his convent, referring to an engagement betwixt them and Sir Richard Maitland, and Sir William, his eldest son, concerning the lands of Hedderwicke, and the pasturages of Thirlestane and BIythe. This Patrick was Abbot of Kelso betwixt 1258 and 1260. ; :

THE SCOTTISH BOEDER. 17 also gave to the same convent, " Omnes terras, quas WaU

<* terus de Giling tenuit injeodo stio de Thirkstane, et " pastura incommuni de Thirlestane, ad quadraginta ovesy

" sexaginta vaccas, et ad viginti e^wos."—'Cartulary of Dryburgh Abbey, in the Advocates' Library. From the following ballad, and from the family traditions referred to in the Maitland MSS., Auld Maitland appears to have had three sons ; but we learn, from the latter authority, that only one survived him, who was thence surnamed Burd alane, which signifies either uii' equalled, or soUiary, A Consolation, addressed to Sir Hichard Maitland of Lethington, a poet and scholar who flourished about the middle of the sixteenth century, and who gives name to the Maitland MSS., draws the following parallel betwixt his domestic misfortunes and those of the first Sir Richard, his great ancestor

Sic destanie and derfe devoring deid

Oft his own hous in hazard put of auld ; Bot your forbeiris, frovard fortounes steid

And bitter blastes, ay buir with breistis bauld ; Luit wanweirdis work and waiter as they wald, Thair hardie hairtis hawtie and heroik.

For fortounes feid or force wald never fauld ; But stormis withstand with stomak stout and stoik.

Renowned Richert of your race record, Quhais prais and prowis cannot be exprest Mair lustie lynyage nevir haid ane lord. For he begat the bauldest bairnis and best, Maist manful men, and madinis most modest, Tliat ever wes syn Pyramus tym of Troy, But piteouslie thai peirles perles apest.

Bereft him all bot Buird-allane, a boy. —

18 ]MINSTRET.SV OF

Himselfe was aiget, his hous hang be a har,

Duill and distres almaist to deid him dr.iife ; Yet Burd-allane, his only son and air. As wretched, vyiss, and valient, as the laive, His hous uphail'd, quhilk ye with lionor halve.

So nature tliat the lyk invyanj name,

" In kindlie cair dois kindly courage craif, To follow him in fortoune and in fame.

Richerd he wes, Richerd ye are also,

And Maitland als, and magnanime as he ; In als great age, als wrappit are in wo,

Sewin sons-j- ye haid noight contravaill his tlirie,

Bot Burd-allane ye halve behind as he : The lord his linage so inlarge in lyne, And mony hundreith nepotis grie and griej Sen Richert wes as hundreth yeiris are hyne.

An CoHsulutor Ballad to the liicJit IlonoralUl Sir Richert Maitland of Lethhigl oiine Maitland MSS. in Library of EdinliiTgh University.

Sir William Mautlant, or Maitland, the eldest and sole surviving son of Sir Richard, ratified and confirmed, to the monks of Dryburgh, " Oiimes terras qitas Dominus

" Ricardiis de Mautlant jjater suns fecit dictis monachis

* i. c. Similar family distress demands the same family courage.

-)- Sewin sons—This must include sons-in-law ; for the last Sir Richard, like his predecessor, had only three sons, namely, 1. Wil- liam, the famous secretary of Queen Mary ; II. Sir John, who alone survived him, and is the Burd-allane of the consolation ; III. Thomas, a youth of great hopes, who died in Italy. But he had four daughters married to gentlemen of fortune. Pinkerton's

List cf Scottish Poets, p. II 4.

X Ciric and grie—In regular descent ; from gre, French. —

TTIE SCOTTISH RORDEE. 19

" in tcrritorio suo de Thirlestane." Sir William is supposed to have died about 1315 Crawford's Peerage. Such were the heroes of the ballad. The castle of

Thirlestane is situated upon the Leader, near the town of Lauder. Whether the present building, which was erected by Chancellor Maitland, and improved by the

Duke of Lauderdale, occupies the site of the ancient castle, I do not know ; but it still merits the epithet of a " darksome house." I find no notice of the siege in history; but there is nothing improbable in supposing, that the castle, during the stormy period of the Baliol wars, may have held out against the English. The crea- tion of a nephew of Edward L, for the pleasure of slaying him by the hand of young Maitland, is a poetical licence ;* and may induce us to place the date of the

composition about the reign of David II., or of his successor, when the real exploits of Maitland, and his sons, were in some degree obscured, as well as magnified, by the lapse of time. The inveterate hatred against the

English, founded upon the usurpation of Edward I., glows in every line of the ballad.

Auld Maitland is placed, by Gawain Douglas, Bishop of Dunkeld, among the popular heroes of romance, in

his allegorical Palice of Honour : t

* Such liberties with the genealogy of monarchs were common to romancers. Henry the Minstrel makes Wallace slay more than one of King Edward's nephews ; and Johnie Armstrong claims the merit of slaying a sister's son of Henry VIII.

•j- It is impossible to pass over this curious list of Scottish romances without a note ; to do any justice to the subject would require an —

20 :\riNSTRr.LSY or

I saw Raf Coilyear with his thrawin brow,

Crabit John tlie Reif, and auld Cowkilbeis Sow ; And how the wran cam out of Ailsay,

And Piers Plowman, that moid his workmen few ; Gret Gowraacmorne, and Fyn Mac Cowl, and how They s'old be goddis in Ireland, as they say. Thuir saw J Maltland iipmi anlil hard gray, Robin Hude, and Gilbert with the quhite hand. How Hay of Nauchton flew in Madin land.

In this curious verse, the most noted romances, or popular histories, of the poet's day, seem to be noticed,

The preceding stanza describes the sports of the field :

essay Raf Coilyear is said to have been printed by Lekprcvik, in

1572 ; but no copy of the etlition is known to exist, and the hero is forgotten, even by popular tradition.

Jolm the Rc'f, as well as tlie former personage, is mentioned by Dunbar, in one of his poems, where he styles mean persons,

Kyne ef Rauf Colyard, and Johne the Reif.

They seem to have been robbers ; Lord Hailes conjecturcdJohn the

Reif to be the same with Johnie Armstrong ; but, surely, not with his usual accuracy ; for the Pulicc of Honour was printed twenty- eight years before Johnie's execution. John the Reif is mentioned by Lindesay, in his tragedy of Cardinal Bealoun :

—disagysit, like John the Raif, he geid—

Cowkilbeis Soui is a strange legend in the Bannatyne MSS See Coinplaytit of Scotland, p. 131.

Ho-ui the wren came out of Ailsay. —The wren, I know not why, is often celebrated in Scottish song. The testament of the wren is still sung by the chUdren, beginning.

The wren she lies in care's nest, Wi' meikle dole and pyne.

This may be a modification of the ballad in the text,

8 :

THE SCOTTISH ROEDER. 21

and that which follows refers to the tricks of jugailrie; so that the three verses comprehend the whole pastimes of the middle ages, which are aptly represented as the

furniture of dame Venus's chamber. The verse, refer-

ring to Maitland, is obviously con-upted ; the true reading was probably, " mith his auld beird gray." Indeed

Piers Plo-u.-man is well known. Under the uncouth names of Gow Mac Morn, and of Fyn Mac Cowl, the admirers of Ossian are to re-

cognize Ganl, the son of Morni, and Fingal himself ; hcu qiiantum

mutatus ab illo ! To illustrate the familiar character of RoUii Hood, would be an insult to my readers. But they may be less acquainted with Gilbrrt

mth the Whifc Hand, one of his brave followers. He is mentioned

in the oldest legend of that outlaw ; Ritson's Robin Hood, p. 52

Thryes Robin shot about.

And alway he slist the wand. And so dyde good Gi/lherte With the White Hand.

Hay of Nachton I take to be the knight, mentioned by Wyntown, whose feats of war and travel may have become the subject of a romance, or ballad. He fought in Flanders, under Alexander, Earl of

Mar, in 1408, and is thus described :—

Lord of the Nachtane, Schire William, Ane honest knycht, and of gud fame, A travalit knycht lang before than.

And again, before an engagement,

The Lord of Nachtane, Schire William, The Hay, a knycht than of gud fame, Mad Schire Gilbert the Hay, knycht,

Cronijkil, B. IX. c. 27.

I apprehend we should read, " How Hay of Nachton sUxki in

" Madin Land." Perhaps Madin is a corruption for Maylin, or Milan Land. 22 .IITNSTRELSY OF

the whole verse is lull of errors and corruptions ; -which is the greater pity, as it conveys information to be found

no where else. The descendant of Auld Maitland, Sir Richard of Le- thington, seems to have been frequently complimented on the popular renown of his great ancestor. We have

already seen one instance ; and in an elegant copy of verses in the Maitland MSS., in praise of Sir Richard's

seat of Lethington, which he had built or greatly im-

proved, this obvious topic of flattery does not escape the poet. From the terms of his panegyric we leain, tliat the exploits of Auld Sir Richard with the gray beard, and of his three sons, were " sung in many far countrie,

" albeit in rural rhyme /' from which we may infei', that

they were narrated i-ather in the shape of a jiopular ballad, than in a romance of price. If this be the case, the

song now published may have undei'gone little varia-

tion since the date of the Maitland MSS. ; for, divest-

ing the poem, in praise of Lethington, of its antique

spelUng, it would run as smoothly, and appear as modern, as any verse in the folloAving ballad. The lines

alluded to, are addressed to the castle of Lethington :

And happie art thou sic a place.

That few thy mak are sene : But yit mair happie far that race To quhome thou dois pertene. Quha dois not knaw the Maitland bluid.

The best in all this land ? In quhilk sumtyme the honour stuid And worship of Scotland. THE SCOTTISH BOKDEK. 23

Of auld Sir Hichanl, ol' that name.

We have hard sing and say ; Of his triumphant nobill fame, And of his auld baird gray. And of his nobill sonnis three,

Quhilk that tynie had no maik ; Quliilk maid Scotland rcnounit be,

And all England to quaik.

Quhais luifing praysis, made trcwlic, Efter that simple tyme, Ar sung in monie far countrie. Albeit in rural rhyme.

And, gif I dar the trueth declair. And nane me fleitschoiir call,

I can to him find na compair,

And till his barnis all.

It is a curious circumstance, tliat this interesting tale, so often referred to by ancient authors, should be now- recovered in so perfect a state ; and many readers may be pleased to see the following sensible observations, in the humble made by a person born in—Ettrick Forest, situation of a shepherd : " I am surprised to hear, that

" this song is suspected by some to be a modern for-

" gery ; the contrary will be best proved, by most of

" the old people, hereabouts, having a great part of it " by heart. Many, indeed, are not aware of the man-

" il- ners of this country : till this present age, the poor

" literate people, in these glens, knew of no other en- " tertainment, in the long winter nights, than repeat-

" ing, and listening to, the feats of their ancestors, re-

" corded in songs, which I believe to be handed down. —

24 MINSTRELSY OF

" from father to son, for many generations, although, " no doubt, had a copy been taken, at the end of every

" fifty years, there must have been some difference, oc-

" casioned by the gradual change of language. I be-

" lieve it is thus that many very ancient songs have been

" gradually modernized, to the common ear ; while, to " the connoisseur, they present marks of their genuine

" antiquity." Letter to the Editor from Mr James Hogg. To the observations of my ingenious correspondent I have nothing to add, but that, in this, and a thousand other instances, they accurately coincide with my personal knowledge. —

THE SCOTTISH liOllDEE.

AULD MAITLAND.

TiiEiiE lived a king in southern land.

King Edward hight his name ; IJnwordily he wore the crown.

Till fifty years were gane.

He had a sister's son o's ain,

Was large of blood and bane ; And afterward, when he came up, Young Edward hight his name.

One day he came before the king, And kneel'd low on his knee " A boon, a boon, my good vnicle,

" I crave to ask of thee ! —

26 MINSTRELSY OF

" At our lang wars, in fair Scotland " I fain hae wish'd to be ; " If fifteen hundred waled* wight men *' You'll grant to ride wi' me."

Thou sail hae thae, thou sail hae niae

" I say it sickerlie ; And I mysell, an auld gray man,

" Array'd your host sail see."

King Edward rade. King Edward ran

I wish him dool and pyne ! Till he had fifteen hundred men Assembled on the Tyne.

And thrice as many at Uerwickef

Were all for battle bound. Who, marchmgjhrth withj'alse Dunbar, A ready 'ii-elcovicfound.\

They lighted on the banks of Tweed, And blew their coals sae het, And fired the IMerse and Teviotdale,

All in an evening late.

• \Valcd— Chosen.

t North-Berwick, according to some reciters. * Modern, to supply an imperfect stanza. ; ;; ;

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 27

As they fared up o'er Lammermore, They burii'd baith up and down, Untill they came to a darksome house,

Some call it Leadei'-Town.

'' Wha hauds this house ?" young Edward cry'd, " Or wha gies't ower to me ?" A gray-hair'd knight set up his head,

And crackit right crousely :

" Of Scotland's king I hand my house " He pays me meat and fee " And I will keep my gude auld house, " While my house will keep me."

They laid their sowies to the wall, Wi' mony a heavy peal

But he threw ower to them agen

Baith pitch and tar barrel.

AVith springalds, stancs, and gads of airn,

Amang them fast he threw Till mony of the Englishmen About the wall he slew. 28 MINSTKELSY OF

Full fifteen days that braid host lay,

Seiging Auld Maitlaud keen ;

Syne they hae left him, hail and fair, Within his strength of stane.

Then fifteen barks, all gaily good, Met them upon a day, Which they did lade with as much spoil As they could bear away.

" England's our ain by heritage ; " And what can us withstand, " Now we hae conqucr\l fair Scotland, " With buckler, bow, and brand P"

Then they are on to the land o' France, Where auld King Edward lay,

Burning baith castle, tower, and town, That he met in his way.

Until he came unto that town,

Which some call Billo})-Grace ;

There were Auld Maitland"s sons, a' three,

Learning at school, alas ! :

THE SCOTTISH BORDER.

The eldest to the youngest saic!,

" O see ye what I see ?

" Gin a"* be trew yon standard says,*

" We're fatherless a' three.

" For Scotland's conquered up and down ; " Landmen we'll never be

" Now, will ye go, my brethren two, " And try some jeopardy ?"

Tiien they hae saddled twa black horse,

Twa black horse and a grey ; And they are on to King Edward's host, Before the dawn of day.

When they arrived before the host, They hover'd on the lay— " Wilt thou lend me our king's standard,

" To bear a little wav P"

" Where was thou bred ? where was tliou born ? " Where, or in what country ?""

" In north of England I was born ."

(It needed him to lie.)

* Edward had quartered the arms of Scotland with his own. 10 MINSTIIEI-SY or

" A knight me gat, a lady bore, " I am a squire of high renowne ; " I well may bear't to any king, " That ever yet wore crowne."

" He ne''er came of an EngUslmian, " Had sic an e'e or bree ; " But thou art the likest Auld ]\Iaitland,

" That ever I did see.

" But sic a gloom on ae brow-head, " Grant I ne'er see aganc !

" For mony of oiu- men he slew, " And mony put to pain."

When Maitland heard liis father's name,

An angi-y man was he i

Then, lifting up a gilt dagger, Huns low down bv his knee.

He stabb'd the knight the standard bore,

He stabb'd him cruellic ; Then caught the standard by the neuk,

And fast away rode he. —

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 31

Now, is't na time, brothers,''' he cried,

?"" '• Now, is't na time to flee Ay, by my sooth !" they baith rephed, " Well bear you company ."''

The youngest turn'd him in a path, And drew a bvu-nish\l brand. And fifteen of the foremost slew, Till back the lave did stand.

He spurr''d the grey into the path, Till baith his sides they bled " Grey ! thou maun carry me away,

" Or mv life lies in wad !""

The captain lookit ower the wa\

About the break o"' day ;

There he beheld the three Scots lads. Pursued along the way.

" Pull up portcullize ! down draw-brigg " My nephews are at hand ;

" And they sail lodge wi' me to-night,

" In spite of all England." ]\rTNSTl{ELSY OF

Wheiie"'er they came within the yate,

They tlirust tlieir liorse them frac, And took three lang spears in their hands

Saying, " Here sail come nae mae !"

And they sliot out, and they shot in,

Till it was fairly day ; ^Vhcn mony of the Englishmen About the draw-brigg lay.

Then they hae yoked carts and wains.

To ca"* their dead away, And shot auld dykes abunc the lave, In gutters where they lay.

Was heard aloud to say,

" Last night, three o' the lads o' France " My standard stole away.

" Wi' a fause tale, disguised, they came, " And wi'' a fauser trayne ; " And to regain my gaye standard,

" These men were a' tlown slavne." — ;

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 33

" It ill befits/"' the youngest said,

" lie A crowned king to ; " But, or that I taste meat and drink,

" Reproved sail he be."

He went before King Edward strait,

And kneeFd low on his knee ;

" I wad hae leave, my lord," he said, '* To speak a word wi' thee."

The king he turn'd him round about, And wistna what to say Quo' he, " Man, thou's hae leave to speak,

" Tho' thou should speak a' day."

Ye said, that three young lads o' France " Your standard stole away, Wi' a fause tale, and fauser trayne,

" And mony men did slay :

But we are nane the lads o' France, " Nor e''er pretend to be ;

We are three lads o"' fair Scotland, " Auld Maitland's sons are we 34 IXriXSTRELSY OF

" Nor is there men, in a'' 3'our liost,

" Daur fight us three to three.'

" Now, by my sootli/'' young Edward said, " Wee] *ed ye sail be !

" Piei'cy sail with the eldest fight,

" And Ethert Lunn wi'' thee : " William of Lancaster the third, " And bring your fourth to me !"

Remember, Piercy, aft the Scot " Has cozo'rd beneath thy hand:* For every drap of Maitland blood,

" I'll o-ie a riff of land.''

He clanked Piercy ower the head,

A deep wound and a sair.

Till the best blood o' his bodie

Came rinnins: down his liair.

NoM-, I've slayne ane ; slay ye the twi " And that's gude companye ;

And if the twa suld slay ye baith, " Ye'se get na help frae me."

* Modern, to supply an imperfect stanza. — ;

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 35

But Ethert Lunn, a baited bear,

Had many battles seen ; He set the youngest wonder sair, Till the eldest he grew keen

" I am nae king, nor nae sic thing : " My word it shanna stand !

" For Ethert sail a buffet bide, " Come he beneath my brand.''

He clankit Ethert ower the head,

A deep wound and a sair, Till the best blood of his bodie

Came rinning ower his hair.

" Now IVe slayne twa ; slaye ye the ane

"Is na that gude companye ? " And tho' the ane suld slay ye baith,

" Ye'se get na help o' me,"

The twa-some they hae slayne the ane ;

They mauPd him cruellie ; Then hung them over the draw-brigg.

That all the host might see.

VOL. 1. c 36 MINSTRELSY OF

They rade their horse, they ran their horse,

Then hovered on the lee :

" ^Ve be three lads o"" fair Scotland,

'' " That fain would fighting see.

This boasting when young Edward heard,

An angry man was he !

" I'll tak yon lad, I'll bind yon lad, " And bring him bound to thee !"

" Now, God forbid,"" King Edward said,

" That ever thou suld try !

" Three worthy leaders we hae lost,

" And thou the fourth wad lie.

" If thou shouldst hang on yon draw-brif " Blythe wad I never be !" But, with the poll-axe in his hand. Upon the brigg sprang he.

The first stroke that young Edward gae,

He struck wi' might and mayn ; He clove the Maitland's helmet stout, And bit right nigh the brayn. THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 37

When Maitland saw his ain blood fa',

An angry man was he ! He let his weapon frae him fa', And at his throat did flee.

And thrice about he did him swing, Till on the grund he light, Where he has halden young Edward, Tho' he was great in might.

" Now let him up,"" King Edward cried,

" And let him come to me ! " And for the deed that thou hast done,

" Thou slialt hae erldomes three !"

" Its ne'er be said in France, nor e'er " In Scotland, when I'm hame, " That Edward once lay under me, " And e'er gat up again !"

He pierced him through and through the heart

He maul'd him cruellie ; hen lumg him ower the Beside the other three. 38 .AIINSTRELSV OF

" Now, take fi*ae me that feather-bed ! " Make me a bed o' strae !

" I >vish I hadna lived this day, " To mak my heart sae wae.

" If I were ance at London Tower,

" Where I was wont to be, " I never mair suld gang frae hame, " " Till borne on a bier-tree THE SCOTTIkSH BORDEK. 39

NOTES

AULD MAITL AND.

Young Edward hight his name.—P. 25. v. 2. Were it possible to find an authority for calling this personage Edmund, we should be a step nearer history ; for a brother, though not a nephew of Edward I., so named, died in Gascony during an unsuccessful campaign against the French. —Knighton, Lib. III. cap. 8.

/ ivish him dool and pyne.—P. 26. v. 3. Thus Spenser, in Mother Huherd's tale—

Thus is the ape become a shepherd swain.

And the false fox his dog, God give them pain !

Who, marching forth u'ithjahe Dunbar, A ready welcome found.—P. 26. v. 4. These two lines are modern, and inserted to complete the verse. Dunbar, the fortress of Patrick, Earl of March, was — —

40 MINSTRELSY OF

too often Opened to the English, by the treachery of that Baron, during the reign of Edward I.

They laid their sowies to the wall, Wi' viony a heavy peal.—P. 27. v. 4. In this and the following verse, the attack and defence of a fortress, during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, are described accurately and concisely. The sow was a military engine, resembUng the Roman testudo. It was framed of wood, covered with hides, and mounted on wheels, so that, being roUed forward to the foot of the besieged wall, it served as a shed, or cover, to defend the miners, or those who wrought the battering-ram, from the stones and arrows of the garrison. In the course of the famous defence, made by Black Agnes, Countess of March, of her husband's castle of Dunbar, Mon- tague, Earl of Sahsbury, who commanded the besiegers, caused one of these engines to be wheeled up to the wall. The Count- ess, who, with her damsels, kept her station on the battle- ments, and affected to wi^e off -with her handkerchief the dust raised by the stones hurled from the English machines, awaited the approach of this new engine of assault. '' Beware, ISlow- " tague," she exclaimed, while the fragment of a rock was chs- " charged from the wall Beware, IMontague ! for farrow shall " thy sow !"* Their cover being dashed to pieces, the assailants, with great loss and difficulty, scrambled back to their trenches. " By the regard of suche a lady," would Froissart have said, " and by her comforting, a man ought to be worth " two men, at need." The sow was called by the French

Truie.—See Hailes' Annals, vol. II. p. 89. Wyntown's Cronykil, Book VIII. William of Malmesburv, Lib. IV. The memory of the sow is preserved in Scotland by two trifling circumstances. The name given to an oblong hay-stack,

* This sort of bravade seems to have been fashionable in those times : " Et avec drapeaux, et leurs chaperons, ils torchoient les " murs a I'endroit, ou les pierres venoient frapper." Notice dcs Maniiscrits de la Bibliotheqnc Nationnlc. : ; ;;

THE SCOTTISH BORDEli. 41

is a hay-sow ; and this may give us a good idea of the form of the machine. Children also play at a game with cherry-stones, placing a small heap on the ground, which they term a sowie,

endeavouring to hit it, by throwing single cherry-stones, as the sow was formerly battered from the walls of the besieged for-

tress. ISIy companions, at the High School of Edinburgh, will remember what was meant by herrying a sowie. It is strange to find traces of military antiquities in the occupation of -the husbandman and the sports of children. The pitch and tar-barrels of IVIaitland were intended to con- sume the formidable machines of the English. Thus, at a fa- bulous siege of York, by Sir WilHam Wallace, the same mode

of defence is adopted

The Englishmen, that cruel were and kene,

Keeped their town, and fended there full fast

Faggots of fire among tlie host tliey cast,

Up jiitch and tar on fell soxvis they lent Many were hurt ere they from the walls went Stoiics on Springalds they did cast out so fast. And goads of iron made many grome agast. Henky the Minstrel's History of Wallace—B. 8. c. 5.

A more authentic illustration may be derived from Barbour's Account of the Siege of Berwick, by Edward II., in 1319, when a sow was brought on to the attack by the English, and burned by the combustibles hurled dowm upon it, through the device of John Crab, a Flemish engineer, in the Scottish service.

And thai, that at the sege lay,

Or it was passyt the fyft day, Had made thaim syntlry apparall,

To gang eft sonys till assaill. Off gret gests a so-v thai maid.

That stalwart heildyne aboyne it haid ; With armyt men inew tharin. And instruments for to myne. ; : ;

42 MINSTRELSY OF

Sindry scaftalds thai maid withall, That war wele heyar than the wall, And ordanyt als that, be the se, The town suld weill assaUlyt be.

Thai within, that saw thaim swa, Swa gret apparaill schap to ma, Throw Craby's cunsaill, that wes sley, A crane thai haifF gert dress up hey, Rynnand on quheills, that thai micht bryng

It quhar that nede war off helping.

And pyk, and ter, als haiff thai tane ; And lynt, and herds, and brymstane And dry treyis that wele wald brin.

And mellyt aythir other in : And gret fagalds thairoff thai maid, Gyrdyt with irne bands braid. The fagalds Weill mychl mesurj't be, Till a gret towrys quantite. The fagalds brj'ning in a ball,

With thair cran thoucht till awaill ; And giff the sow come to the wall.

To lat it brynand on her fall

And with stark chenyeis hald it thar,

Quhill all war brynt up that thar war.

Upon sic maner gan thai fycht,

QuhiU it wes ner none off the day. That thai without, on gret aray,

Pryssyt thair sn-u' towart the wall And thai within sone gert call The engynour, that takyn was.

And gret menance till him mais, And swour that he suld dey, bot he Prowyt on the sow sic sutelte That he to fruschyt ilk dele. And he, that hath persawyt wele That the dede wes wele ner hym till, Bot giff he mycht fulfil thair will Thoucht that he at hys mycht wald do. ; ; ;

THE SCOTTISH RORDEU. 43

Bendyt in gret by then wes sche,

That till the sow wes ewyn set. In hy he gert draw the cleket And smertly swappyt owt a stane, Ewyn our the sow the stane is gane.

And behind it a litill way !" It fell : and then they cryt, " Hey That war in hyr, " furth to the wall, !" " For dredles it is ours all

The gynour then deleuerly Gert bend the gyn in full gret hy And the stane smertly swappyt out.

It flaw out quethyr, and with a rout,

And fell rycht ewyn befor the sow. Thair harts than begouth to grow. Bot yhet than, with thair mychts all Thai pressyt the sow towart the wall

And has hyr set tharto gentilly. The gynour than gert bend in hy The gyne, and wappyt owt the stane.

That ewyn towart the lyft is gane, And with gret wycht syne duschyt doun,

Rycht be the wall in a randoun ;

And hyt the sow in sic maner.

That it that wes the maist sowar,

And starkast for to stynt a stark,

Irt sundre with that dusche it brak.

The men than owt in full gret hy And on the wallis thai gan cry. That thair sow wes feryt thar.

Jhon Crab, that had hys geer all yar

In hys fagalds has set the fyr. And our the wall syne gan thai wyr.

And brynt the sow till brunds bar. The Bnice, Book XVII.

The springakls, used in defence of the castle of Lander, were baUstce, or large cross-bows, wrought by machinery, and capable of throwing stones, beams, and huge darts. They were ——

44 MINSTUELSY OF

numbered among the heavy artillery of the age ; " Than the " kynge made all his navy to draw along, by the cost of the " Downes, every ship well garnished with bombardes, cros- " bowes, archers, springalls, and other artillarie."—Fnois- SART. Goads, or sharpened bars of iron, were an obvious and formidable missile weapon. Thus, at the assault of Rochemig- lion, " They within cast out great barres of iron, and pots with " lyme, wherewith they hurt divers Englishmen, such as adven-

"tured themselves too far." Froissart, vol. I. cap. 108. From what has been noticed, the attack and defence of Lau- der castle will be found strictly conformable to the manners of the age ; a circumstance of great importance, in judging of the antiquity of the ballad. There is no meiTtion of guns, though these became so common in the latter part of the reign of Ed- ward III., that at the siege of St IVIaloes, " the Enghsh had " well a four hondred gonnes, who shot day and night into the

" fortresse, and agaynst it." Froissart, vol. I. cap. 336. Barbour informs us, that guns, or " crakis of wer," as he calls them, and crests for helmets, were first seen by the Scottish, in their skinnishes with Edward the Third's host, in Nor- thumberland, A. D. 1327.

Which so?ne call Billop-Grace.—P. 28. v. 6. If this be a Flemish, or Scottish, corruption for \''ille de Grace, in Normandy, that town was never besieged by Edward

I., whose wars in France were confined to the province of Gas- cony. The rapid change of scene, fi-om Scotland to France, excites a suspicion, that some verses may have been lost in this place. The retreat of the English host, however, may remind us of a passage in Wyntown, when, after mentioning that the Earl of SaMsbury raised the siege of Dunbar, to join King Ed- ward in France, he observes,

" It was to Scotland a gud chance, " That thai made thaim to werray in France, ' " For had thai halyly thaim tane " For to werray in Scotland allane, ;

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 45

Eftyr the gret mischeffis twa, Duplyn and Hallydowne war tlia.

Thai suld have skaithit it to gretly. Bot fortowne thoucht scho fald fekilly Will noucht at anis myscheffis fall Thare-fore scho set thare hartis all. To werray Fraunce richit to be, That Scottis live in grettar le. Cronykll, B. VIH. cap. 34.

Now, will ye go, my brethren tivo, And try somejeojMrdie ?—P. 29. v. 2. The romantic custom of achieving, or attempting, some desperate and perilous adventure, witliout either necessity or cause, was a peculiar, and perhaps the most prominent, fea- ture of chivalry. It was not merely the duty, but the pride and delightj of a true knight, to perform such exploits, as no one but a madman would have undertaken. I think it is in the old French romance of Erec and Kneide, that an adventure, the access to which lay through an avenue of stakes, garnished with the bloody heads of the knights who had attempted and

failed to achieve it, is called by the inviting title of La Joie

de la Cour. To be first in advancing, or last in retreating ; to

strike upon the gate of a certain fortress of the enemy ; to fight

blindfold, or with one arm tied up ; to carry off a banner, or to defend one, were often the subjects of a particular vow among the sons of chivalry. Until some distinguishing exploit

of tliis nature, a young knight was not said to have won. his sjmrs; and, upon some occasions, he was obliged to bear, as a mark of thraldom, a chain upon his arm, which was removed, with great ceremony, when his merit became conspicuous. These chains are noticed in the romance of Jehan de Saintre. In the language of German chivalry, they were called Ketten des Gelubdes (fetters of duty.) Lord Herbert of Cherbury informs us, that the Knights of the Bath were obliged to wear certain strings, of silk and gold, upon their left arm, until they had achieved some noble deed of arms. When Edward III. —

4G 3riNSTllEI,SY OF

commenced his Frencli wars, many of the young bachelors of England bound up one of their eyes with a silk ribbon, and swore, before the peacock and the ladies^ that they would not see with both eyes until they had accomplished certain deeds of arms in France. Froissart, cap. 28. A remarkable instance of this chivalrous phrenzy occurred during the expedition of Sir Robert Knowles, who, in 1370, marched through France, and laid waste the country, up to the very gates of Paris. " There was a knight, in their companye, " had niade a vowe, the day before, that lie wolde ryde to the " walles or gates of Parys, and stryke at the barryers with his " speare. And, for the fournyshing of his vowe, he departed " fro his companye, his spear in his fyst, his shelde about his

" neck, armed at all pecesse, on a good horsse, his squyer on " another, Iwhind him, with his bassenet. And whan he ap- " proached neare to Parys, he toke and dyde on his helme, and

" lefl his squyer behind hym, and dashed his spurres to his " horsse, and came gallopynge to the barryers, the whiche as " then were opyn ; and the lordes, that were there, had wened

" he wolde have entred into the towne ; but that was not his

" mynde ; for, when he hadde stryken at the barryers, as he " had before avowed, he towrned his reyne, and drue back " agayne, and departed. Then the knightes of France, that

" ' sawe hym depart, sayd to him, Go your waye ; you have " ryghte well acquitted yourself.' I can nat tell you what was

" thys knyghtes name, nor of what contre ; but the blazure of " his amies was, goiUes, two fusses sable, a border sable.

" Howbeit, in the subbarbes, he had a sore encontre ; for, as " he passed on the pavement, he founde before hym a bocher, " abigge man, who had well sene this knighte pass by. And " he helde in liis handes a sharpe hevy axe, with a long poynt ; " and as the knyght returned agayne, and toke no hede, this " bocher came on his side, and gave the knyght such a stroke, " betwene the neck and the shuldors, that he reversed for- " warde hcedlynge, to the neck of his horsse, and yet he re- " covered agayne. And than the bocher strake hym agayne, " so that the axe entered into his body, so that, for payncj the —

THE SCOTTISH BORDEK. 47

" knyghte fell to the ertlie, and his horsse ran away, and cavne " to the squyer, who abode for his mayster at the stretes ende. " And so, the squyer toke the horsse, and had gret marveyle

" what was become of his mayster ; for he had well sene him " ryde to the barryers, and stryke thereat with his glayve, and " retourne agayne. Thanneherodealytellforthe, thyderwarde, " and anone he saw where his master layn upon the erthe, " bytwene foure men, layenge on him strokes, as they wolde

'' have stryken on a stethey {anvil) ; and than the squyer was

" so affreyed, that he durst go no farther : for he sawe well he " could nat help his mayster. Therefore he retourned as fast " as he myght : so there the sayd knyghte was slayne. And " the knyghtes, that were at the gate, caused hym to be buried " in holy groimd." Fkoissart, ch. 281. A similar instance of a military jeopardy occurs in the same author, ch. 36i. It happened before the gates of Troyes. " There was an Englyshe squyre, borne in the bishopryke of

" Lincolne, an expert man of armes ; I can nat say whyder he

" could se or nat ; but he spurred his horse, his speare in his

" hande, and his targe about his necke ; his horse came rushyng " downe the waye, and lept clene over the barres of the bary- " ers, and so galoped to the gate, where, as the Duke of Bur- " goyne and the other lords of France were, who reputed that " dede for a great enterprise. The squyer thoughte to have re-

" turned, but he could nat ; for his horse was stryken with

" speares, and beaten downe, and the squyr slain ; wherewith " the Duke of Burgoyne was right sore displeased."

Wilt thou lend rue our King's standard, To bear a little way ?—P. 29. v. 4. In all ages, and in almost aU countries, the miUtary stand- ards have been objects of respect to the soldiery, whose duty it is to range beneath them, and, if necessary, to die in their defence. In the ages of chivalry, these ensigns were distinguished by their shape, and by the various names of baimers, pennons, pcnoncellcs, ike, according to the number of men who were to light under them. They were displayed, on the —

48 MINSTRELSY OF

day of battle, with singular solemnity, and consigned to the charge only of such as were thought willing and able to defend them to the uttermost. When the army of Edward, the Black Prince, was drawn up against that of Henry the Bastard, King of Castile, " Than Sir Johan Chandos brought his baner, roll-

" ed up togyder, to the Prince, and said, ' Sir, behold, here is " my baner. I requyre you display it abrode, and give me

" leave this daye to raise it ; for, sir, I thanke God and you,

'' I have land and heritage sufFyciente to maynteyne it withal.' " Than the Prince, and King Dampeter (Don Pedro,) toke the

" baner betwene their handes, and spred it abrode, the which

" was of sylver, a sharp pyle gaules, and delyvered it to hym,

" ' and said, Sir Johan, behold here youre baner ; God sende " you joye and honour thereof !' Than Sir Johan Chandos bare " his baner to his owne companye, and sayde, ' Sirs, beholde

" here my baner, and youres ; kepe it as your owne.' And they

" toke it, and were right joyful thereof, and sayd, that by the " pleasure of God, and Saint George, they would kepe and Ac-

" fend it to the be^t of their powers. And so the baner abode " in thehandesof agood Englishe squyer, called William Alery,

" who bare it that day, and acquaytted himself right nobly."

Froissart, vol. I. eh. 237. The loss of a banner was not only great dishonour, but an infinite disadvantage. At the battle of Cocherel, in Normandy, the flower of the combatants, on each side, were engaged in the attack and defence of the banner of the captall of Buche, the English leader. It was planted amid a bush of thorns, and guarded by sixty men at arms, who defended it gallantly. " There were many rescues, and many a " one hurt and cast to the earth, and many feates of armes " done, and many gret strokes given, with good axes of steel,

" that it was wonder to behold." The battle did not cease until the captall's standard was taken and torn to pieces. We learn, from the following passage in Stowe's Ch?'onicle,

that the standard of Edward I. was a golden dragon. " The " King entred Wales with an army, appointing the footmen to " occupie the enemies in fight, whiles his horsemen, in a wing, " fet on the rere battell : himselfe, with a power, kept his THP: SCOTTISH BOllDEll. 49

" place, where he pight his golden dragon, unto whiche, as to

'' a castle, the wounded and wearied might repair."

" Where wast thou bred ? where wast thou horn ? " Where, or in what conntrie ?" :" " In north of England I was bom {It needed him to lie.) —P. 29. v. 5. Stratagems, such as that of INIaitland, were frequently practised with success, in consequence of the complete armour worn by the knights of the middle ages. In 1359, Edward III. entered France, to improve the success of the battle of Poictiers. Two French knights. Sir Galahaut of Rybamont, and Sir Roger of Cologne, rode forth, with their followers, to survey the Eng- lish host, and, in short, to seek adventures. It chanced that they met a foraging party of CJermans, retained in King Ed- ward's service under the command of Reynold of Boulant, a knight of that nation. By the counsel of a squire of his retinue. Sir Galahaut joined company with the German knight, under the assumed character of Bartholomew de Bonne, Reynold's countryman and fellow-sokUer in the Enghsh service. The French knights " were a 70 men of armes, and Sir Renolde

" had not past a 30 ; and, whan Sir Renolde saw theym, he " displayed his baner befor hym, and came softely rydynge to- " warde theym, wenyng to him that they had been Englyshe- " men. Whan he approached, he lyft up hys vyser, saluted Sir " Galahaut, in the name of Sir Bartylmewe de Bonnes. Sir " Galahaut helde hiraselfe styll secrete, and answered but " fayntly, and sayd, ' Let us ryde forth ;' and so rode on, and " hys men, on the one syde, and the Almaygnes on the other. " Wlian Sir Renolde of Boulant saw theyr raaner, and howe " Sir Galahaut rode sometyme by hym, and spake no word, " than he begane to suspecte. And he had not so ryden, the " space of a quarter of an hour, but he stode styll, under his " baner, among hys men, and sayd, ' Sir, I have dout what " knyght ye be. I thynke ye be nat Sir Bartylmewe, for I " knowe hym well : and I see well that yt ys nat you. I well

" ye tell mc your name, or I ryde any farther in your com- —

50 MINSTRELSY OF

" pany.' Therwith Sir Galahaut lyft up hys vyser, and rode " towardes the knyght to have taken hym by the raynse of !' " hys brydell, and cryed, ' Our Ladye ofRiibamont Than Sir " Roger of Coloyne sayd, ' Coloyne to the rescue ! * Whan " Sir Renolde of Boulant sawe what case he was in, he was

" nat gretly afrayd, but drewe out his sworde ; and, as Sir " Galahaut wolde have taken hym by the brydell. Sir Re- " nolde put his sworde clene through hym, and drue agaync " hys sworde out of hym, and toke his horse, with the spurres, " and left Sir Galahaut sore hurt. And, whan Sir Galahautes " men sawe thcyr master in that case, they were sore dys- "' pleased, and set on Sir Renolde's men ; there were many " cast to the yerth, but as sone as Sir Renolde had gyven Sir " Galahaut that stroke, he strak his horse with the spurres, and " toke the feldes. Than certayne of Galahaut's squyers chasyd " hym, and, whan he sawe that they followed hym so nere, that " he muste other tourne agayne, or els be shamed, lyke a hardy " knyght he tourned, and abode the foremost, and gave hym " such a stroke, that he had no more lyste to folwe him. And " thus, as he rede on, he served three of theym, that folowed

" hym, and wounded them sore : if a good axe had been in " hys hand, at every stroke he had slayne a man. He dyd so " muche, that he was out of danger of the Frenchmen, and

" saved himselfe withoute any hurte ; the whyche hys enemyes '* reputed for a grete prowess, and so dyd all other that harde

" thereof ; but hys men were nere slayne or taken, but few " that were saved. And Sir Galahaut was caryed from thence

" sore hurt to Perone ; of that hurt he was never after perfect-

" ly hole ; for he was a knycht of suche courage, that, for all

" his hurte, he would not spare hyraselfe ; wherefore he ly ved

" not long after." Froissakt, vol. I. chap. 207.

The youngest turn'd him in a path.

And drew a burnish'd brand, iS;c. —P. 31. v. 2. Thus, Sir Walter Mauny, retreating into the fortress of Ha-

* The war-cries of their familv. — —:

THE SCOTTISH BORDER, 51

nyboute, after a successful sally, was pursued by the besiegers, who " ranne after them lyke madde men ; than Sir Gualtier " saide, ' Let me never be beloved wyth my lady, wythout I " have a course wyth one of these followers !" and turning, with his lance in the rest, he overthrew several of his pursuers, before he condescended to continue his retreat.

Whene'er thei/ came within the yate. They thrust their horse themfrae, &;c.—P. 32. " The Lord of Hangest (pvirsued by the English) came so " to the barryrs (of Vandonne) that were open, as his happe " was, and so entred in therat, and than toke his speare, and " turned him to defence, right valiantly." Froissart, vol.

I. chap. 367.

They rade their horse, they ran. their horse,

Then hovered on the lee, c^c— P. 36. v. 1. The sieges, during the middle ages, frequently afforded opportunity for single combat, of which the scene was usually the draw-bridge, or barriers, of the town. The former, as the more desperate place of battle, was frequently chosen by knights, who chose to break a lance for honour, and their ladies' love. In 1387, Sir William Douglas, Lord of Nithis- dale, upon the draw-bridge of the town of Carlisle, consisting of two beams, hardly two feet in breadth, encountered and slew, first, a single champion of England, and afterwards two, who attacked him together. Forduni Scotichronicon , Lib. XIV. chap. 51.

He brynt the suburbys of Carlele, And at the bareris he fauchat sa wele, That on thare bryg he slw a man, The wychtast that in the town wes than Quhare, on a plank of twa feet brade, He stude, and swa gude payment made, That he feld twa stout fechteris,

And but skath went till his feres. Wyntown's Croiitjk'd, Book IX. Chap. 8. 52 MINSTRELSY OF

These combats at the barriers, or pahsades, which formed the outer fortification of a town, were so frequent, that the mode of attack and defence was early taught to the future knight, and continued long to be practised in the games of chivalry. The custom, therefore, of defying the inhabitants of a besieged town to this sort of contest, was highly fashionable in the middle ages ; and an army could hardly appear before a place, without giving rise to a variety of combats at the barriers, which were, in general, conducted without any unfair advantage being taken on either part. The following striking example of this romantic custom occurs in Froissart. During the French wars of Edward the Black Prince, and in the year 1370, a body of EngUsh, and of adventurers retained in his service, approached the city of Noyon, then occupied by a French garrison, and arrayed themselves, with displayed banners, before the town, defying the defenders to battle. " There was a Scottysh knyghte * dyde " there a goodly feate of armes, for he departed fro his com- " panye, hys speare in hys hand, and mounted on a good " horse, hys page behynde hyine, and so came before the bar- " ryers. Thys knyght was called Sir Johan Assueton, t a " hardy man and a couragyous. WTian he was before the " barryers of Noyon, he lyghted a-fote, and sayd to hys page, " ' Holde, kepe my horse, and departe nat hens;' and so wente " to the barryers. And wythyn the barryers, there were good

" knyghtes ; as. Sir John of Roy, Sir Lancelot of Loutys, and " a X or xii other, who had grete marveyle what thys sayde " knyghte wolde do. Then he sayde to them, ' Sirs, I am " come hyder to se you. I se well, ye wyll nat issue out of

* By the terms of the peace betwixt England and Scotland, the

Scottish were left at liberty to take service either with France or Eng- land, at their pleasure. Sir Robert Knolles, therefore, who commanded the expedition, referred to in the text, had under his command a hundred Scottish spears.

•j- Assueton is a corruption for Swinton. Sir John Swinton of Swin- ton, was a Scottish champion, noted for his courage and gigantic stature. THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 53

" your barryers ; therefore I will entre, and I can, and wyll

" prove my knyghthode agaynst yours ; wyn me and ye can.* " And therewyth he layde on round about hym, and they at " hym. And thus, he alone fought agaynst them, more than " an hour ; and dyd hurte two or three of them ; so that they " of the towne, on the walles and garrettes, stode still, and " behelde them, and had great pleasure to regarde his val-

" yauntness, and dyd him no hurte ; the whiche they myght " have done, if they hadde list to have shotte, or cast stones " at hym. And also the French knyghtes charged them to '^ let hym and them alone togyder. So long they foughte, " that at last, his page came near to the barryers, and spake

'' in his language, and sayd, ' Sir, come awaye ; it is time for " you to departe, for your cumpanye is departyng hens.' The " knyghte harde hym well, and then gave a two or three " strokes about him, and so, armed as he was, he lept out of " the barryers, and lepte upon his horse, without any hurte,

' " behynde his page ; and sayd to the Frenchmen, Adue, " ;" sirs ! I thank you and so rode forthe to his owne cum- " panye. The whiche dede was moche praysed ofmany folkes." —Froissart, cap. 278. The barriers, so often alluded to, are described, by the same admirable historian, to be grated pallisades, the grates being about half a foot wide. In a skirmish before Honycourt, Sir Henry of Flanders ventured to thrust his sword so far through one of those spaces, that a sturdy abbot, who was within, seized his sword-arm, and drew it through the barriers, up to the shoulder. In this awkward situation he remained for some time, being unwilling to dishonour himself by quitting his weapon. He was at length rescued, but lost his sword ; which Froissart afterwards saw preserved, as a rehque, in the monastery of Honycourt.— Vol. I. chap. 39. For instances of single combats, at the barriers, see the same author, passim.

And if the tiua siild slay ye haith, Ye'se get na help frae me.—P. 34. v. 5. According to the laws of chivalry, laws which were also for :

54 MINSTRELSY OF

a long time observed in duels, when two or more persons were

engaged on each side, he, who first conquered his immediate antagonist, was at Mberty, if he pleased, to come to the assistance of his companions. The play of the LUtle French

Lawyer turns entirely upon this circumstance ; and it may be remarked throughout the poems of Boiardo and Ariosto, particularly in the combat of three Christian and three Pagan champions, in the 42d canto of Orlando Furioso. But doubt-

less a gallant knight was often unmlling, like young Mait- land, to avail himself of this advantage. Something of this land seems to have happened in the celebrated combat, fought in the presence of James II. at Stirling, in 1449, between three French, or Flemish, warriors, and three noble Scottishraen, two of whom were of the house of Douglas. The reader will find a literal translation of OUver de la INIarche's account of

this celebrated tourney, in Pinkerton'? History, vol. I. p.

/ am nae King, nor nae sic thing My word it shanna stand!—P. 35. v. 2. IVIaitland's apology for retracting his promise to stand neu-

ter, is as curious as his doing so is natural. The unfortunate John of France was wont to say, that, if truth and faith were banished from all the rest of the universe, they should still re- side in the breast and the mouth of kings.

They mauVd him cruellie.—P. 35. v. 5. This has a vulgar sound, but is actually a phrase of romance. Taut frappant et maillent lex deux vassaux I'un sur

I'autre, que leurs hcaumes, et leurs hauherts, sont tons cassez et rompuz.—La fleur des Battailes.

But, wi' the poll-axe in his hand, Upon the brigg sprang he.—P. 36. v. 4. The battle-axe, of which there are many kinds, was a knight- ly weapon, much used in the middle ages, as well in single combat as in battle. " And also there was a younge bachelor. ——

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 55

" called Bertrandeof Glesguyne, who, during the seige, fought

" wyth an Englyshraan called Sir Nycholas Dagerne : and that " batayle was takene thre courses wyth a speare, thre strokes " wyth an axe, and thre wyth a dagger. And eche of these " knyghtes bare themselves so valyantly, that they departed " fro the felde wythout any damage, and they were well re- " garded, bothe of theyme wythyn, and they wythout." This happened at the siege of Rennes, by the Duke of Lancaster,

in 1357. Froissart, vol. I. c. 175. With the same weapon Godfrey of Harcourt long defended himself, when surprised and defeated by the French. " And Sir Godfraye's men kepte

" no good array, nor dyd nat as they had promysed ; moost

" part of theyme fledde ; whan Sir Godfraye sawe that, he " sayde to hymselfe, how he had rather there be slayne than

" be taken by the Frenchmen ; there he toke hys axe in hys " handes, and set fast the one legge before the other, to stonde

" the more surely ; for hys one legge was a lytell crooked, but " he was strong in the armes. Ther he fought valyantly and

" long : none durste well abyde hys strokes ; than two French- " men mounted on theyr horses, and ranne both with their

" speares at ones at hym, and so bare him to the yerth ; than " other, that were a-fote, came wyth theyr swerdes, and strake " hym into the body, under his barneys, so that ther he was " slayne." Ibid. chap. 172. The historian throws Sir God- frey into a striking attitude of desperation.

Wheii Maitland saw his ain bludefa, An avgry 7nan was he!—P. 37. v. 1. There is a saying, that a Scottishman fights best after seeing l)is own blood. Camerarius has contrived to hitch this foohsh proverb into a national compliment ; for he quotes it as an instance of the persevering gallantry of his countrymen. " Si in " piigna prop7-ium effundi sanguineni vidissent, non statim pro- " strata aniiuo concedebant, sed irato potiiis in hosies velutfu- " rentes omnibus viribus incurrebant." 56 MINSTRELSY OF

That Edward once lay under me, And e'er gat up again.—P. 37. v. 4.

Some reciters repeat it thus :

" That Englishman lay undej: me,'*

which is in the true spirit of Blind Harry, who makes Wal- lace say,

" I like better to see the southeron die, •' Than gold or land, that they can gie to me."

In slaying Edward, Maitland acts pitilessly, but not contrary to the laws of arms, which did not enjoin a knight to shew mercy to his antagonist, until he yielded him, " rescue or no rescue." Thus, the Seigneur de Languerant came before the walls of an English garrison, in Gascony, and defied

any of the defenders to run a course with a spear ; his challenge being accepted by Bertrand Courant, the governor of the place, they couched their spears, hke good knights, and dashed on their horses. Their spears were broke to pieces, and Languerant was overthrown, and lost his helmet among

the horses' feet. His attendants were coming up ; but Ber- trand drew his dagger, and said, " Sir, yield ye my prisoner, '* rescue or no rescue ; els ye are but dead." The dismount-

ed champion spoke not a word ; on which Bertrand, entering into fervent ire, dashed his dagger into his skull. Besides, the battle was not always finished by one warrior obtaining this advantage over the other. In the battle of Nejara, the famous Sir John Chandos was overthrown, and held down, by a gigantic Spanish cavalier, named IVIartino Fernandez. " Then Sir John Chandos remembred of a knyfe, that he had " in his bosome, and drew it out, and struck this Jlartyne so " in the backe, and in the sydes, that he wounded him to " dethe, as he laye upon hym." The dagger, which the knights employed in these close and desperate struggles, was called the poniard ofviercy. THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 57

BATTLE OF OTTERBOURNE.

THE SCOTTISH EDITION.

The following edition of the Battle of Otterbourne^ being essentially different from that which is published in the Rcliques of Aiicienl Poetry, vol. I., and being obviously of Scottish composition, claims a place in the present collection. The particulars of that noted action are related by Froissart, with the highest encomiums upon the valour of the combatants on each side. James, Earl of Douglas, with his brother, the Earl of Murray, in 1387, invaded Northumberland, at the head of 3000 men ; while the Earls of Fife and Strathern, sons to the King of Scotland, ravaged the Western Borders of Eng- land, with a still more numerous army. Douglas pe- netrated as far as Newcastle, where the renowned Hot- spur lay in garrison. In a skirmish before the walls, Percy's lance, with the pennon, or guidon, attached to it, was taken by Douglas, as most authors affirm, in a personal encounter betwixt the two heroes. The Earl —

58 MINSTllELSY OF

shook the pennon aloft, and swore he would carry it

as his spoil into Scotland, and plant it upon his castle of Dalkeith. " That," answered Percy, " shalt thou " never !"— Accordingly, having collected the forces of the Marches, to a number equal, or (according to the Scottish historians) much superior, to the army of Dou-

glas, Hotspur made a night attack upon the Scottish

camp, at Otterbourne, about thirty two miles from New-

castle, An action took place, fought by moonlight, with uncommon gallantry and desperation. At length, Dou-

glas, armed with an iron mace, which few but he could wield, rushed into the thickest of the English batta-

lions, followed only by his chaplain, and two squires of

his body.* Before his followers could come up, their brave leader was stretched on the ground, with three

mortal wounds ; his squires lay dead by his side ; the priest alone, armed with a lance, was protecting his

master from farther injury. " I die like my forefa-

" thers," said the expiring hero, " in a field of battle, " and not on a bed of sickness. Conceal my death, de-

" fend my standard,t and avenge my fall ! it is an old

" Their names were Robert Hart and Simon Glendinning. The chaplain was Richard Lundie, afterwards Archdean of Aberdeen GoDSCROFT. Hart, according to Wintoun, was a knight. That historian says, no one knew how Douglas felL

-j- The banner of Douglas, upon this memorable occasion, was borne by his natural son, Archibald Douglas, ancestor of the family of Ca- vers, hereditary Sheriffs of Teviotdale, amongst whose archives this glorious relique is still preserved. The Earl, at his onset, is said to have charged his son to defend it to the last drop of his blood. —

THE SCOTTISH BOllDEK. 59

" prophecy, that a dead man shall gain a field,* and I

" hope it will be accomplished this night." Gods-

croft. With these words he expired ; and the fight was renewed with double obstinacy around his body.

When morning appeared, however, victory began to in-

cline to the Scottish side. Ralph Percy, brother to Hotspur, was made prisoner by the Earl Mareschal, and shortly after, Harry Percy t himself was taken by Lord Montgomery. The number of captives, accord-

ing to Wintoun, nearly equalled that of the victors.

Upon this the English retired, and left the Scots mas-

ters of the dear-bought honours of the field. But the Bishop of Durham approaching, at the head of a body

of fresh forces, not only checked the pursuit of the victors, but made prisoners of some of the stragglers, who had urged the chase too far. The battle was not, however, renewed, as the Bishop of Durham did not ven-

ture to attempt the rescue of Percy. The field was foughtlSth August, 1388. — Fordun, Froissaut, Hol- LINSHED, GoDSCROFT. The ground on which this memorable engagement

took place, is now the property of John Davidson, Esq. of Newcastle, and still retains the name of Battle Cross. A cross, erroneously termed Percy's Cross, has been erected upon the spot where the gallant Earl of Douglas is supposed to have fallen. The castle of Otterbourne,

" This prophecy occurs in the ballad as an ominous dream. f Hotspur, for his ransom, built the castle of Penoon, in Ayrshire, belongin.; to the family of Montgomery, now Earls of Eglintoun. 60 MINSTRELSY OF

which was besieged by Douglas, with its demesne

lands, is now the property of James Ellis, Esq. who is also proprietor of a neighbouring eminence called Faw- don-hill, on which may yet be discerned the vestiges of the Scottish camp, agreeing with the description of the ballad, " They lighted high on Otterbourn." Earl's Meadows, containing a fine spring called Percy's well, are a part of the same gentleman's grounds, and pro-

bably derive their name from the battle. The camp

on Fawdoun-hill is a mile distant from Battle Cross ;

but it must be remembered that the various changes of

position and of fortune during so long and fierce an engagement between two considerable armies, must have

extended the conflict over all the vicinity.

The ballad, published in the Reliques, is avowedly an

English production ; and the author, with a natural par-

tiality, leans to the side of his countrymen : yet that ballad, or some one similar, modified probably by national prejudice, must have been current in Scotland during the reign of James VI. ; for Godscroft, in treating of this battle, mentions its having been the subject of popular song, and proceeds thus : " But that which is " commonly sung of the Hunting of Cheviot, seemeth

" indeed poetical, and a mere fiction, perhaps to stir

" there is up virtue ; yet a fiction whereof no mention, " either in the Scottish or English Chronicle. Neither

" are the songs that are made of them, both one ; for

" the Scots song Jtuide of Ottcrbourne, telleth the time,

" about Lammas ; and also the occasion, to take preys : — ;

THE SCOTTISH BORDErv. 61

" out of England ; also the dividing the armies betwixt " the Earls of Fife and Douglas, and their several jour-

" nies, almost as in the authentic history. It begin- " neth thus

" It fell about the Lammas tide, " When yeomen win their hay, " The dochty Douglas 'gan to ride, " In England to take a prey."

GoDSCUOFT, ed. Ed'm. 1743, vol. I. p. 195.

I cannot venture to assert, that the stanzas, here published, belong to the ballad alluded to by Godscroft but they come much nearer to his description than the copy published in the first edition, which represented Douglas as falling by the poniard of a faithless page. Yet we learn from the same author, that the story of the assassination was not without foundation in tradition. —" There are that say, that he (Douglas) was not

" slain by the enemy, but by one of his own men, a " groom of his chamber, whom he had struck the day " before with a truncheon, in ordering of the battle, " because he saw him make somewhat slowly to. And " they name this man John Bickerton of Luffness, who

" left a part of his armour behind unfastened, and when

" he was in the greatest conflict, this servant of his came " behind his back, and slew him thereat." Godscroft, — the historian, " is lit supra. " But this narration," adds

" not so probable."* Indeed it seems to have no found-

• Wintoun assigns another cause for Douglas being carelessly 62 MINSTllELSY OF

ation, but the common desire of assigning some remote and extraordinary cause for the death of a great man.

The following ballad is also inaccurate in many other

particulars, and is much shorter, and more indistinct, than that printed in the Reliqnes, although many verses

are almost the same. Hotspur, for instance, is called

Earl Percyy a title he never enjoyed. Neither was Dou- glas buried on the field of battle, but in Melrose Abbey,

where his tomb is still shown.

This song was first published from Mr Herd's Collec- tion of Scottish Songs and Ballads, Edin. ITT^, 2 vols, octavo ; but two recited copies have fortvmately been obtained from the recitation of old persons residing at the head of Ettrick Forest, by which the story is brought out, and completed in a manner much more

correspondent to the true history.

I cannot dismiss the subject of the battle of Otter- bourne, without stating (with all the deference due to the father of this species of literature) some doubts which have occurred to an ingenious correspondent, and an

" The Erie Jamys was sa besy,

" For til ordane his company, *' And on his fays for to pas, " That reckles he of his armyng was ; " The Erie of Mwrrawys bassenet, " Thai sayd, at thot tyme was ferryhete."

Book VII i. Chap. 7.

The circumstance of Douglas' omitting to put on his helmet occurs in the ballad. THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 63 excellent antiquary, concerning the remarks on the names subjoined to the ballads of Chevy Chace and Otterbourne, in the Reliqiies of Ancient Poetry. " John de Lovele, Sheriff of Northumberland, 34th

Hen. VII./' is evidently a mistake, as Henry VH. did not reign quite twenty-four years ; but the person meant was probably John de Lavale, knight, of Delavale Castle, who was sheriff, 34th Henry VHI. There seems little doubt that the person called in the ballad " the gentil Lovel," Sir Raff the rich Rugbe, was probably Sir Ralph

Neville of Raby Castle, son of the first Earl of West- moreland, and cousin-german to Hotspur. In the more modern edition of the ballad, he is expressly called Sir

Ralph Rabby, i. e. of Raby.

With respect to the march of Douglas, as described in the ballad, it appears that he entered Northumber- land from the westward. Redesdale, Rothely-crags, and Green Leighton, are a few miles eastward of Otter- bourne. Otterscope-hill lies south-west from Green Leighton.

The celebrated Hotspur, son of the first Earl of Nor- thumberland, was, in 1385, Governor of Berwick, and warden of the East Marches ; in which last capacity it was his duty to repel the invasion of Douglas. Sir Henry Fitzhugh, mentioned in the ballad, was one of the Earl of Northumberland's commanders at the battle of Homeldown.

As to the local situation of Otterbourne, it is thirty 10 ;

64 MINSTRELSY OF

statute miles from Newcastle, though Buchanan has di- minished the distance to eight miles only. The account given of Sir John of Agurstone seems also liable to some doubt. This personage is there supposed to have been one of the Hagerstons of Hager- ston, a Northumbrian family, who, according to the fate of war, were sometimes subjects of Scotland. I cannot, however, think, that at this period, while the English were in possession both of Berwick and Roxburgh, with the intei*mediate fortresses of Wark, Cornhill, and Nor- ham, the Scots possessed any part of Northumberland, much less a manor which lay within that strong chain of castles. I should presume the person alluded to rather to have been one of the Rutherfords, Barons of Ed- gerstane, or Edgerston, a warlike family, which has long flourished on the Scottish Borders, and who were, at this very period, retainers of the house of Douglas. The same notes contain an account of the other Scot- tish warriors of distinction, who were present at the battle. These were, the Earls of Monteith, Buchan, and Huntly ; the Barons of Maxwell and Johnston ; Swinton of that ilk, an ancient family, which about that period produced several distinguished warriors

Sir David (or rather, as the learned editor well remarks. Sir Walter) Scott of Buccleuch, Stewart of Garlics, and Murray of Cockpool. THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 65

Regihus el legibus Scotici cotistanfes,

Vos clypeis ct gladiii pro patria pugnantes,

Veslra est victoria, vestra est et gloria.

In caniu et historia, perpes est memoria ! :

MINSTRELSY OF

BATTLE OF OTTERBOURNE.

It fell about the Lammas tide, When the muir-men win their hay, The doughty Earl of Douglas rode

Into England, to catch a prey.

He chose the Gordons and the Graemes, With them the Lindesays, light and gay But the Jardines wald not with him ride,

And they rue it to this day.

And he has burn'd the dales of Tyne,

And part of Bambrough shire ;

And three good towers on Roxburgh fells,

He left them all on fire. ;

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 67

And he march'd up to Newcastle,

And rode it round about " O what's the lord of this castle,

" Or wha's the lady o't ?"

But up spake proud Lord Percy, then.

And O but he spake hie ! " I am the lord of this castle, " My wife's the lady gay."

" If thou'rt the lord of this castle,

" Sae weel it pleases me !

" For, ere I cross the Border fells, " The tane of us shall die."

He took a lang spear in Ms hand. Shod with the metal free, And for to meet the Douglas there, He rode right furiouslie.

But O how pale his lady look'd, Frae aff the castle wa'. When down before the Scottish spear.

She saw proud Percy fa'.

VOL. I. E ; ; ;

68 MINSTRELSY OF

*' Hatl we twa been upon the greeB>

" And never an eye to sec,

" I wad hae had you, flesh and fell

" But your sword sail gae wi"" me.

" But gae ye up to Otterlwurne, " And wait there day is thx-ee ; " And, if I come not ere three dayis end,

" A fause knight ca"* ye me/'

" The Otterbourne"'s a bonnie burn " 'Tis pleasant there to be

" But thei-e is nought at Otterbourne, " To feed my men and me.

" The deer rins wild on hili and dale,

" The birds fly wild from tree to tree

" But there is neither bread nor kale, " To fend-}- my men and me.

• Fell.^-H'\de. Douglas insinuates, that Percy was rescued by hi soldiers. f 7^f?f(?.—Support. —

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 69

" Yet I will stay at Otterbourne,

" Where you shall welcome be ;

" And, if ye come not at three dayis end, " A fause lord Til ca' thee."

« Thither will I come," proud Percy said, « By the might of Our Ladyc !"— " There will I bide thee," said the Douglas, " My trowth I plight to thee."

They lighted high on Otterbourne,

Upon the bent sae brown ; They lighted high on Otterbourne, And threw their pallions down.

And he that had a bonnie boy.

Sent out his horse to grass ; And he that had not a bonnie boy. His ain servant he was.

But up then spake a little page, Before the peep of dawn " O waken ye, waken ye, my good lord, " For Percy's hard at hand." :

70 MINSTRELSY OF

" Ye lie, ye lie, ye liar loud !

" Sae loud I hear ye lie " For Percy had not men yestreen '* To dight my men and me.

But I hae dream'd a dreary dream,

" Beyond the Isle of Sky ;

I saw a dead man win a fight, " And I think that man was I."

He belted on his good braid sword.

And to the field he ran ; But he forgot the helmet good, That should have kept his brain.

When Percy wi' the Douglas met,

I wat he was fu' fain !

They swakked their swords, till sair they swat.

And the blood ran down like rain.

But Percy with his good broad sword, That could so sharply wound, Has wounded Douglas on the brow.

Till he fell to the ground. ; '

THE SCOTTISH BOEDER. 71

Then he calPd on his httle foot-page, And said—" Run speediUe, " And fetch my ain dear sister's son, " Sir Hugh Montgomery."

" My nephew good," the Douglas said,

" What recks the death of ane !

" Last night I dream'd a dreary dream, " And I ken the day's thy ain.

" My wound is deep ; I fain would sleep ; " Take thou the vanguard of the three, " And hide me by the braken* bush, " That grows on yonder lilye lee.

" O bury me by the braken bush, " Beneath the blooming briar, " Let never living mortal ken, " That ere a kindly Scot lies here.

He lifted up that noble lord, Wi' the saut tear in his e'e He hid him in the braken bush,

That his merrie men might not see.

* Braken—Fern. ; ;

72 MINSTRELSY OF

The moon was clear, the day drew near,

The spears in flinders flew. But mony a gallant Englishman Ere day the Scotsmen slew.

The Gordons good, in English blood. They steepM their hose and shoon

The Lindsays flew like fire about,

Till all the fray was done.

The Percy and Montgomery met,

That either of other were fain ;

They swapped swords, and they twa sat, And aye the blude ran down between.

Yield thee, O yield thee, Percy !" he said,

!"" " Or else I vow I'll lay thee low

Whom to shall I yield,*" said Earl Percy,

" Now that I see it must be so ?"

" Thou shalt not yield to lord nor loun, " Nor yet shalt thou yield to me " But yield thee to the braken bush,

" That grows upon yon lilye lee !" ;

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 73

I will not yield to a braken bush,

" Nor yet will I yield to a briar ; But I would yield to Earl Douglas, " Or Sir Hugh the Montgomery, if he were here."

As soon as he knew it was Montgomery, He stuck his sword's point in the gronde And the Montgomery was a courteous knight, And quickly took him by the liondc.

This deed was done at Otterbourne,

About the breaking of the day : Earl Douglas was buried at the braken bush, And the Percy led captive away. —

74 MINSTRELSY OF

NOTES

THE BATTLE OF OTTERBOURNE.

He chase the Gordons and the Grcemes.—P. 66. v. 2. The illustrious famUy of Gordon was originally settled upon the lands of Gordon and Huntly, in the shire of Berwick, and are, therefore, of Border extraction. The steps by which they removed from thence to the shires of Aberdeen and Inverness, are worthy notice. In 1300, Adam de Gordon was warden of the Marches. Rymeb, vol. II. p. 870. He obtained, from Robert the Bruce, a grant of the forfeited estate of David de

Strathbolgie, Earl of Athol ; but no possession followed, the earl having returned to his allegiance. —John de (Jordon, his great-grandson, obtained, from Robert II., a new charter of the lands of Strathbolgie, which had been once more and finally forfeited, by David, Earl of Athol, slain in the battle of Kilblane. This grant is dated 13th July, 1376. John de Gordon, who was destined to transfer, from the Borders of England to those of the Highlands, a powerful and martial race, was himself a redoubted warrior, and many of his exploits occur in the annals of that tvirbulent period. In 1371-2, the Enghsh Borderers invaded and plundered the lands of Gordon, on the Scottish East March. Sir John of Gordon retaUated, THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 75 by an incursion on Northumberland, where he collected much spoil. But, as he returned with his booty, he was attacked at unawares, by Sir John Lilburne, a Northumbrian, who, with a superior force, lay near Carham in ambush, to intercept him. Gordon harangued and cheered his followers, charged the English gallantly, and, after having himself been five times in great peril, gained a complete victory ; slaying many southerns, and taking their leader and his brother captive. According to

the Prior of Lochievin, he was desperately wounded ; but

'* Thare rays a welle grete renowne, " And gretly prysyd wes gud Gordown."

Shortly after this exploit. Sir John of Gordon encountered and routed Sir Thomas Musgrave, a renowned EngHsh March- man, whom he made prisoner. Tlie Lord of Johnstone had, about the same time, gained a great advantage on the West

Border ; and hence, says Wyntoun,

He and the Lord of Gordowne Had a soverane gud renown, Of ony that war of thare degr^. For full thai war of gret bount^.

Upon another occasion. Sir John of Gordon is said to have partially succeeded in the surprisal of the town of Berwick, although the superiority of the garrison obliged him to reUn- quish his enterprize.

The ballad is accurate, in introducing this warrior, with his clan, into the host of Douglas at Otterbourne. Perhaps, as he was in possession of his extensive northern domains, he brought to the field the northern broad-swords, as well as the iances of his eastern Borderers. With his gallant leader, he lost his Ufe in the deadly conflict. The English ballad com-

memorates his valour and prudence :

*' The Erie of Huntley, cawte and kene."

But the title is a premature designation. The Earldom of

Huntly was first conferred on Alexander Seaton, who married 9 76 MINSTRELSY OF the grand-daughter of the hero of Otterboume, and assumed his title from Huntly, in the north. Besides his eldest son Adam, who carried on the line of the family. Sir Jolm de Crordon left two sons, known in tradition by the famihar names of Jock and Tarn. Hie fonner was the ancestor of the Gor- dons of Pitlurg ; the latter of those of Lesmotr, and of Craig-

Gordon. This last family is now represented by James Gor- don, Esq. of Craig, being the eleventh, in direct descent, from Sir John Ae Gordon.

The Groeines, The clan of Grseme, always numerous and powerful upon the Border, were of Scottish origin, and deduce the descent of their chieftain, Graeme of Netherby, from John with the bright sword, a son of jNIalice Grtcme, Earl of Slenteith, who flourished in the fourteenth century. Latterly, they became Eng- lishmen, as the phrase went, and settled upon the Debateable Land, whence they were transported to Ireland, by James

VI., with the exception of a very few respectable famOies ; " because," said his jMajesty in a proclamation, " they do all " (but especially the Grsemes) confess themselves to be no

" meet persons to live in these countries ; and also to the " intent their lands may be inhabited by others, of good and " honest conversation." But, in the reign of Henry IV., the

Graemes of the Border still adherttl to the Scottish allegiance, as appears from the tower of Graeme in Annandale, Graemes Walls in Twecddale, and other castles within Scotland, to

which they have given their name. The reader is, however, at Uberty to suppose, that the Graemes of the Lennox and Menteith, always ready to shed their blood in the cause of

tiieir country, on this occasion joined Douglas.

With them the Lindsays light and gay.—P. 66. v. 2. The chief of this ancient family, at the date of the battle of Otterbourne, was David Lintlissay, Lord of Glencsk, afterwards created Earl of Crawford. He was, after the manner of the times, a most accompUshed knight. He survived the battle — —

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 77 of Otterbourne, and the succeeding carnage of Homildon, In May, 13D0j he went to England, to seek adventures of chi-

valry ; and justed, upon London Bridge, against the Lord of Wells, an English knight, with so much skill and success, as to excite among the spectators a suspicion that he was tied to his saddle ; which he removed, by riding up to the royal chair, vaulting out of his saddle, and resuming his seat without assistance, although loaded with complete armour. In 1392, Lindsay was nearly slain in a strange manner. A band of Catterans, or wild Highlanders, had broken down from the Grampian HiUs, and were engaged in plundering the county of Angus. Walter Ogilvy, the sheriff, with Sir Patrick Gray, marched against them, and were joined by Sir David Lindsay. Their whole retinue did not exceed sixty men, and the High- landers were above three hundred. Nevertheless, trusting to the superiority of arms and discipUne, the knights rushed on the invaders, at Gasclune, in the Stormont. The issue was unfortunate. Ogilvy, his brother, and many of his kindred, were overpowered and slain. Lindsay, armed at all points,

made great slaughter among the naked Catterans ; but, as he pinned one of them to the earth with his lance, the dying mountaineer writhed upwards, and, collecting his force, fetched a blow witli his broadsword, which cut through the knight's stirrup-leather and steel-boot, and nearly severed his leg. The Highlander expired, and Lindsay was with difficulty borne

out of the field by his followers. W^yntown. Lindsay is also noted for a retort, made to the famous Hotspur. At a March-meeting, at Haldane-Stank, he happened to observe,

that Percy was sheathed in complete armour. " It is for fear

" of the English horsemen," said Percy, in explanation : for l>e was already meditating the insurrection immortaUzed by " Shakespeare. Ah ! Sir Harry," answered Lindsay, " I have " seen you more sorely bestad by Scottish footmen than by " EngUsh horse." Wyntown. Such was the leader of the " Lindsaijs light ami gay," According to Froissart, there were three Lindsays in the battle of Otterbourue, whom he calls Sir William, Sir James, 78 MINSTRELSY OF

and Sir Alexander. To Sir James Lindsay there fell " a '' strange chance of war," which I give in the words of the old historian. " I shall shewe you of Sir Mathewe Reedman " (an EngUsh warrior, and governor of Berwick,) who was on " horsebacke, to save himselfe, for he alone coude not remedy " the mater. At his departynge, Sir James Lindsay was nere " him, and sawe Sir Mathewe departed. And this Sir James, " to wyn honour, followed in chase Sir Mathewe Reedman, " and came so nere him, that he myght have stryken hym

' " with hys speare, if he had lyst. Than he said, A ! Sir

" Knyght, tourne ! it is a shame thus to fly ! 1 am James of " Lindsay. If ye will nat tourne, I shall strike you on the " backe with my speare.' Sir Mathewe spoke no worde, but " struke his hors with his spurres sorer than he did before. " In this maner he chased hym more than three myles. And " at last Sir Mathewe Rcedman's hors foundered, and fell " under hym. Than he stept forthe on the erthe, and drewe " oute his swerde, and toke corage to defend himselfe. And " the Scotte thoughte to have stryken hym on the brest, but " Sir Mathewe Reedman swerved fro the stroke, and the speare " point entred into the erthe. Than Sir INIathewe strak " asonder the speare wyth his swerde. And whan Sir James " Lindsay saw howe he had lost his speare, he cast away the " tronchon, and lyghted a-fote, and toke a lytcU battell-axe, " that he carrycd at his backe, and handled it with his one " hand, quickly and delyverly, in the whyche ftate Scottes " be well experte. And than he set at Sir IMathewe, and he " defended himselfe properly. Thus they journeyed toguyder, " one with an axe, and the other with a swerde, a longe season, " and no man to lette them. Fynally, Sir James Lindsay " gave the knyght such strokes, and helde him so short, that " he was putte out of brethe in such wyse, that he yelded " himselfe, and sayde, * Sir James Lindsay, I yelde me to

— ' " you.' ' Well,' quod he ; and I receyve you, rescue or no

— * " rescue.' ' I am content,' quod Reedman, so ye dele wyth " — me like a good companyon.' ' I shall— not fayle that,' quod " Lindsay, and so put up his swerd. ' Well,' said Reetlman, — — ;

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 79

' " what will ye nowe that I shall do ? I am your prisoner ;

" ye have conquered me ; I wolde gladly go agayn to New- " castell, and, within fiftene dayes, 1 shall come to you into " Scotland, where as ye shall assigne me.' ' I am content,' "^ quod Lindsay ; ' ye shall promyse, by your faythe, to pre- " sent yourselfe, within these foure wekes, at Edinborowe " and wheresoever ye go, to repute yourselfe my prisoner.' " All this Sir Mathewe sware, and promised to fulfil." The warriors parted upon these Uberal terms, and Reedman returned to Newcastle. But Lindsay had scarcely ridden a mile, when he met the Bishop of Durham, with 500 horse, whom he rode towards, beUeving them to be Scottish, until he was too near them to escape. " The bysshoppe stepte to

' " him, and sayde, Lindsay, ye are taken ; yelde ye to me.'

?' — ' " —' Who be you quod Lindsay. ' I am,' quod he, the " — ?' Bysshoppe of Durham.'— ' And fro whens come you, sir " quod Lindsay. ' I come fro the battell,' quod the bys- *' shoppe, ' but I strucke never a stroke there. I go backe— to " Newcastell for this night, and ye shal go with me.' ' I

" may not chuse,' quod Lindsay, * sith ye will have it so. I

" have taken, and I am taken ; suche is the adventures of " armes.' "—Lindsay was accordingly conveyed to the bishop's lodgings in Newcastle, and here he was met by his prisoner " Sir Matthew Reedman ; who founde hym in a stud ye, lying

' " in a windowe, and sayde, What ! Sir James Lindsay, " what make you here ?'—Than Sir James came forth of the " study to him, and sayde, ' By my fayth, Sir Mathewe, for-

" tune hath brought me hyder ; for, as soon as I was departed " fro you, I mete by chaunce the Bisshoppe of Durham, to " whom I am prisoner, as ye be to me. I beleve ye shall not " nede to come to Edenborowe to me to mak your fynaunce. " I think, rather, we shall make an exchange one for another,

" if the bisshoppe be also contente.' ' Well, sir,' quod Reed-

" ' man, we shall accord ryght well toguyder ; ye shall dine

" this day with me ; the bysshoppe and ovir men be gone forth

" to fyght with your men. I can nat tell what we shall know

" at their retourne.'— "^ I am content to dyne with you,' quod — ; —

80 MINSTRELSY OF

" Lindsay." Froissart's Chronicle, translated by Bour- chier^ Lord Berners^ vol. L chap. 146.

O gran bmitd de^ cavaUcri antlqui !

Eran rivali, cran dif& divcrsi ; E si sentian, de gli aspri colpi iniqui. Per tutla la persona anco dolersi E pur per solve oscure, e calk iniqui Insicme van scnza sospctta aversi. L'Orlando.

Bvt the Jardines wald not with him ride.— P. 64. v. 2. The Jardines were a clan of hardy West-Border men. Their chief was Jardine of Applegirth. Their refusal to ride with Douglas was, probably, the result of one of those perpetual feuds, which usually rent to pieces a Scottish array.

And he that had a honny hoy. Sent out his horse to grass.—P. 69. V. 4. Froissart describes a Scottish host, of the same period, as consisting of" IIIL ]\L men of amies, knightis, and squires,

" mounted on good horses ; and other X. M. men of warre " armed, after their gyse, right hardy and firse, mounted on " ly tie hackneys, the whiche were never tied, nor kept at hard " meat, but lette go to pasture in the fieldis and bushes." Chronykle ofFroissart, translated by Lord Berners, chap. xvii. THE SCOTTISH BORDER, 81

THE SANG

OF THE OUTLAW MURRAY.

This ballad appears to have been composed about the reign of James V. It commemorates a transaction, supposed to have taken place betwixt a Scottish monarch, and an ancestor of the ancient family of Murray of Phi- liphaugh, in Selkirkshire. The editor is unable to ascer- tain the historical foundation of the tale; nor is it probable that any light can be thrown upon the subject, without an accurate examination of the family charter chest.

It is certain, that, during the civil wars betwixt Bruce and Baliol, the family of Philiphaugh existed, and was powerful; for their ancestor, Archibald de Moravia, sub- scribes the oath of fealty to Edward I. A. D. 1 2.06. It is^ therefore, not unlikely, that, residing in a wild and fron- 82 minsthei.sy of

tier country, they may have, at one period or other, during these commotions, refused allegiance to the feeble monarch of the day, and thus extorted from him some

grant of territory or jurisdiction. It is also certain, that,

by a charter from James IV., dated November 30, 1509,

John Murray of Philiphaugh is vested with the dignity of

heritable Sheriff of Ettrick Forest, an office held by his

descendants till the final abolition of such jurisdictions

by 2Sth George II., cap. 23. But it seems difficult to be-

lieve, that the circumstances mentioned in the ballad could occur under the reign of so vigorous a monarch as

James IV. It is true, that the Dramalis Persona' intro-

duced seem to refer to the end of the fifteenth, or begin-

ning of the sixteenth century ; but from this it can only be argued, that the author himself lived soon after that

period. It may, therefore, be supposed (unless farther evidence can be produced, tending to invalidate the conclusion,) that the bard, willing to pay his court to the family, has connected the grant of the sheriffship by James IV., with some further dispute betwixt the Mur- rays of Philiphaugh and their sovereign, occurring either

while they were engaged upon the side of Baliol, or in the

subsequent reigns of David II. and Robert II. and III., when the English possessed great part of the Scottish frontier, and the rest was in so lawless a state as hardly to acknowledge any superior. At the same time, this rea-

soning is not absolutely conclusive. James IV. had particular reasons for desiring that Ettrick Forest, which, ac- —

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 83 tually formed part of the jointure lands of Margaret, his Queen, should be kept in a state of tranquillity. Rymer, vol. XIII. p. 66. In order to accomplish this object, it was natural for him, according to the policy of his predecessors, to invest one great family with the power of keeping order among the rest. It is even probable, that the Philiphaugh family may have had claims upon part of the lordship of Ettrick Forest, which lay intermin- gled with their own extensive possessions ; and, in the course of arranging, not indeed the feudal superiority, but the property, of these lands, a dispute may have arisen, of sufficient importance to be the ground-work of a ballad.— It is farther probable, that the Murrays, like other Border clans, were in a very lawless state, and held their lands merely by occupancy, without any feudal right. Indeed the lands of the various proprietors in Ettrick Forest, (being a royal demesne,) were held by the possessors, not in property, but as the kindly tenants, or rentallers, of the crown; and it is only about 150 years since they obtained charters, striking the feu-duty of each proprietor, at the rate of the quit-rent which he formerly paid. This state of possession naturally led to a confusion of rights and claims. The kings of Scotland were often reduced to the humiliating necessity of com- promising such matters with their rebellious subjects, and James himself even entered into a sort of league with Johnie Faa, the king of the gypsies.— Perhaps, therefore, the tradition, handed down in this song, may 84 MIXSTllELSY OF

have had more foundation than it would at present be proper positively to assert.

The merit of this beautiful old tale, it is thought, will

be fully acknowledged. It has been, for ages, a popular

song in Selkirkshire. The scene is, by the common people, supposed to have been the castle of Newark upon

Yarrow. This is highly improbable, because Newark was always a royal fortress. Indeed, the late excellent antiquarian, Mr Plummer,SherifF-deputeofSelkirkshire, has assured the editor, that he remembered the insignia of the unicorns, &c. so often mentioned in the ballad, in existence upon the old tower of Hangingshaw, the seat

of the Philiphaugh family ; although, upon first perusing a copy of the ballad, he was inclined to subscribe to the popular opinion. The tower of Hangingshaw has been

demolished for many years. It stood in a romantic and

solitary situation, on the classical banks of the Yarrow. When the mountains around Hangingshaw were covered with the wild copse which constituted a Scottish forest, a more secure strong-hold for an outlawed baion can hardly be imagined. The tradition of Ettrick Forest bears, that the Out- law was a man of prodigious strength, possessing a bat-

ton or club, with which he laid lee (i. e. waste) the coun-

try for many miles round ; and that he was at length

slain by Buccleuch, or some of his clan, at a little mount,

covered with fii'-trees, adjoining to Newark castle, and

said to have been a pai-t of the garden. A varying tradi- THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 85

tion bears the place of his death to have been near to the house of the Duke of Buccleuch's game-keeper, beneath the castle ; and that the fatal arrow was shot by- Scott of Haining, from the ruins of a cottage on the opposite side of the Yarrow. There were extant, within these twenty years, some verses of a song on his death. The feud betwixt the Outlaw and the Scotts may serve to explain the asperity with which the chieftain of that

clan is handled in the ballad.

In publishing the following ballad, the copy princi-

pally resorted to is one, apparently of considerable antiquity, which was found among the papers of the late Mrs Cockburn of Edinburgh, a lady whose memory will be long honoured by all who knew her. Another

copy, much more imperfect, is to be found in Glen-

riddel's MSS. The names are in this last miserably mangled, as is always the case when ballads are taken down from the recitation of persons living at a distance from the scenes in which they are laid. Mr Plummer also gave the editor a few additional verses, not contained in either copy, which are thrown into what seem-

ed their proper place. There is yet another copy, in Mr Herd's MSS., which has been occasionally made

use of. Two verses are restored in the present edition,

from the recitation of Mr Mvmgo Park, whose toils, during his patient and intrepid travels in Africa, have not eradicated from his recollection the legendary lore of his native country. 86 MINSTRELSY OF

The arms of the Philiphaugh family are said by tradition to allude to their outlawed state. They are indeed those of a huntsman, and are blazoned thus ; Ar- gent, a hunting horn sable, stringed and garnished gules, on a chief azure, three stars of the first. Crest, a Demi Forester, winding his horn, proper. Motto, Hinc usque superna venubor. :

THE SCOTTISH BOJ^DER. 87

THE SANG

THE OUTLAW ]*>IUIIIIAY.

Ettricke Foreste is a fei^ forsste,

In it grows manie a semelie trie ; There's hart and h'md, ard dae and rae,

And of a' wilde beasiis greto plentie.

There^'s a feir castelle; blgged wi"* lyme and stane ;

O ! gin it stands not pleasauntlie !

In the forefront o' that castelle feir, Twa unicorns axe bra' to see There's the picture of a knight, and a ladye bright, And the grene hollin abune their brie.* ;

88 MINSTRELSY OF

There an Outlaw keepis five hundred men

He keepis a royalle companie !

His merryemen are a'' in ae hverye clad,

O' the Lincome grene saye gaye to see ; He and his ladye in purple clad,

O ! gin they lived not royallie !

Word is gane to our nobil King, In Edinburgh, where that he lay, That there was an Outlaw in Ettricke Foreste,

Counted him nought, nor a' his courtrie gay.

" I make a vowe," then the gude King said, " Unto the man that deir bought me,

" I'se either be King of Ettricke Foreste, " Or King of Scotlonde that Outlaw sail be !'

Then spake the lord, hight Hamilton, And to the nobil King said he, " My sovereign prince, sum counsell take, " Fu'st at your nobilis, syne at me.

" I redd ye, send yon braw Outlaw till,

" And see gif your man cum will he : " Desyre him cum and be your man, " And hald of you yon Foreste frie. ; ;

THE SCOTTISH BOllDET?. 89

" Gif ye refuse to do that,

" We'll conquess baith his landis and he !

" Or else, we'll throw his castell down, " And make a widowe o' his gay ladye."

The King then call'd a gentleman, James Boyde, (theEarleofArran hisbrotherwashe) When James he cam before the King, He knelit befor him on his kne.

" Wellcum, James Boyd !"" said our nobil King " A message ye maun gang for me " Ye maun bye to Ettricke Foreste, " To yon Outlaw, where bydeth he

" Ask him of whom he haldis his landis, " Or man, wha may his master be, " And desyre him cum, and be my man,

" And hald of me yon Foreste frie.

To Edinburgh to cum and gang, " His safe warrant I sail gie ;

• And gif he refuses to do that, " We'll conquess baith his landis and he. ; ; ; ;

90 MINSTRELSY OF

" Thou may'st vow I'll cast his castell down,

" And mak a widowe o' his gay ladye

" I'll hang his merryemen, payr by payr, " In ony frith where I may them see."

James Boyd tuik his leave o' the nobil King, To Ettricke Foreste feir cam he Down Birkendale Brae when that he cam,

He saw the feir Foreste wi' his e'c.

Baith dae and rae, and harte and hinde,

And of a' vfilde beastis great plentie ; He heard the bows that bauldly ring, And arrows whidderan' hym near bi.

Of that feir castell he got a sight

The like he neir saw wi' his e'e !

On the fore front o' that castell feir,

Twa unicorns were gaye to see ; The picture of a knight, and lady bright. And the grene hollin abune their brie.

Thereat he spyed five hundred men, Shuting with bows on Newark Lee 2 ;

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 91

They were a' in ae livery clad, C the Lincome grene sae gaye to see.

His men were a' clad in the grene, The knight was armed capapie.

With a bended bow, on a milk-white steed ; And I wot they rank'd right bonilie.

Therby Boyd kend he was master man, And serv'd liim in his ain degre.

" God mot thee save, brave Outlaw Murray !

" Thy ladye, and all thy chyvalrie !" *' Marry, thou''s wellcum, gentleman,

*' Some king's messenger thou seemis to be."

" The King of Scotlonde sent me here, " And, gude Outlaw, I am sent to thee ** I wad wot of whom ye hald your landis, " Or man, wha may thy master be ?"

Thir landis are mine !" the Outlaw said

*' I ken nae King in Christentie ; Frae Soudron * I this Foreste wan,

" Whan the King nor his knightis were not to see."

" Southern, or English. ;

92 MINSTRELSY OF

" He desyres you'l cum to Edinburgh, " And hauld of liim this Foreste frie ;

" And, gif ye refuse to do this,

'• He'll conquess Laith thy landis and thee.

*' He hath vow'd to cast thy castell down,

*' And mak a widowe o' thy gaye ladye ;

" Hell hang thy merryemen, payr by payr, *' In ony frith where he may them finde." " Aye, by my troth !" the Outlaw said, " Than wald I thinke me far behmde.

« " Ere the King my feir countrie get,

" Tliis land that's nativest to me !

" Mony o' his nobilis sail be c?uld,

" Their ladyes sail be right wearie."

Then spak his ladye, feir of face. She seyd, *' Without consent ot me, " That an Outlaw suld cum befor a King " I am right rad* of treasonrie. " Bid him be gude to his lordis at hame,

" For Edinburgh my lord sail nevir see.

Afraid. THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 93

James Boyd tuik his leave o' the Outlaw kene,

To Edinburgh boun is he ; When James he cam before the King, He knelit lowlie on his kne.

" Welcum, James Boyd !" seyd our nobil King

" What foreste is Ettricke Foreste frie ?"

" Ettricke Foreste is the feirest foreste

" That evir man saw wi' his e'e.

" There's the dae, the rae, the hart, the hynde, " And of a' wild beastis grete plentie ; ** There's a pretty castell of lyme and stane, " O gif it standis not pleasauntlie !

" There's in the forefront o' that castell, " Twa unicorns, sae bra' to see ; " There's the picture of a knight, and a ladye bright,

" Wi' the grene hollin abune their brie.

" There the Outlaw keepis five hundred men, " He keepis a royalle cumpanie ! " His merrymen in ae livery clad,

" O' the Lincome grene sae gaye to see : ;

94 MINSTRELSY OF

" He and his ladye in purple clad ;

" .' O ! gin they live not royallie

" He says, yon Foreste is his awin ;

" He wan it frae the Southronie

" Sae as he wan it, sae will he keep it,

" Contrair all kingis in Christentie."

" Gar warn me Perthshire, and Angus baith ; " Fife up and downe, and Louthians three, *' And graith my horse !" said our nobil King, " For to Ettricke Foreste hie will I me."

Then word is gane the Outlaw till. In Ettricke Foreste, where dwelleth he. That the King was cuming to his cuntrie, To conquess baith his landis and he.

** I mak a vow,'^ the Outlaw said, '' I mak a vow, and that trulie, ^' Were there but three men to tak my pairt, " Yon King's cuming full deir suld be !" ; ;

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 95

Then messengers he called forth, And bade them hie them speedilye—- " Ane of ye gae to Halliday,

" The Laird of the Corehead is he.

" He certain is my sister's son " Bid him cum quick and succour me ! " The King cums on for Ettricke Foreste,

" And landless men we a' will be."

" What news ? What news ?" said Halliday, " Man, frae thy master unto me ?"

" Not as ye wad ; seeking your aide " The King's his mortal enemie."

" Aye, by my troth !" said Halliday, " Even for that it repenteth me ; " For gif he lose feir Ettricke Foreste,

" He'll tak feir MoflPatdale frae me.

" I'll meet him wi' five hundred men, " And surely mair, if mae may be ; " And before he gets the Foreste feir, " We a' will die on Newark Lee ! —;

96 MINSTRELSY OF

The Outlaw call'd a messenger, And bid him hie him speedilye, To Andrew Murray of Cockpool " That man's a deir cousin to me ; " Desyre him cum, and mak me ayd,

" With a' the power that he may be."

" It stands me hard," Andrew Murray said, " Judge gif it stand na hard wi' me ; " To enter against a King wi* crown,

" And set my landis in jeopardie !

" Yet, if I cum not on the day,

" Surely at night he sail me see."

To Sir James Murray of Traquair, A message cam right speedilye

" What news ? What news ?" James Murray said, " Man, frae thy master unto me .-'"

" What neids I tell ? for weel ye ken, " The King's his mortal enemie

" And now he is cuming to Ettricke Foreste,

" And landless men ve a' will be." ; ; —;

THE SCOTTISH BORDErv. 97

And, by my trothe," James Murray said, " Wi' that Outlaw will I live and die The King has gifted my landis lang syne

" It cannot be nae warse wi' me."

The King was cuming thro' Caddon Ford,*

And full five thousand men was he ; They saw the derke Foreste them before,

They thought it awsome for to see.

Then spak the lord, hight Hamilton, And to the noble King said he, " My sovereign liege, sum council tak, " First at your nobilis, syne at me.

" Desyre him mete thee at Perman score, " And bring four in his cumpanie

" Five Fries sail gang yoursell befor,

" Grude cause that you suld honovir'd be.

" And, gif he refuses to do that, " We'll conquess baith his landis and he

* A ford on the Tweed, at the mouth of the Caddon Burn, near Yair. —

98 MINSTRELSY OF

*' There sail nevir a Murray, after him,

" Hald land in Ettricke Foreste frie."

Then spak the kene Laird of Buckscleuth, A stalworthye man, and sterne was he—

" For a King to gang an Outlaw till,

" Is beneath his state and his dignitie.

" The man that wons yon Foreste intill, " He lives by reif and felonie ! " Wherfor, brayd on, my sovereign liege ! " Wi' fire and sword we'll follow thee ;

" Or, gif your courtrie lords fa' back,

" Our Borderers sail the onset gie."

Then out and spak the nobil King,

And round him cast a wihe e'e " Now had thy tongue. Sir Walter Scott,

*' Nor speak of reif nor felonie : " For, had every honeste man his awin kye, " A right puir clan thy name wad be !""

The King then callVl a gentleman,

Royal banner-bearer there was he ; — ; ;

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 99

James Hop Pringle of Torsonse, by name He cam and knelit ujxjn his kne.

" Wellcum, James Pringle of Torsonse ! " A message ye maun gang for me " Ye maun gae to yon Outlaw Murray,

" Surely where bauldly bideth he.

" Bid him mete me at Permanscore, " And bring four in his cumpanie ;

" Five erles sail cum wi** mysel, " Gude reason I suld honoured be.

And gif he refuses to do that,

" Bid him luke for nae good o' me !

There sail nevir a Murray, after him,

" Have land in Ifittricke Foreste frie."

James cam before the Outlaw kene. And serv'd him in his ain degre

" Welcum, James Pringle of Torsonse ! " What message frae the King to me ?'

VOL. I. G ; ; . ;

100 MINSTRELSY OF

" He bids ye mete him at Permanscore,

" And bring four in your cumpanie ;

" Five erles sail gang himsell befor, " Nae mair in number will he be.

And gif you refuse to do that,

" (I freely here upgive wi"* thee) He'll cast yon bonny castle down,

" And make a widowe o"" that gaye ladye.

He'll loose yon bluidhound Borderers,

" Wi"* fire and sword to follow thee

There will nevir a Murray, after thysell,

" Have land in Ettricke Forest frie."

" It stands me hard," the Outlaw said

" Judge gif it stands na hard wi' me,

" Wha reck not losing of my sell,

" But a' my offspring after mc,

" My merryemen's lives, my widowe's tt-irj

" There lies the })ang that pinches mc

" Wlien I am straught in bluidie card,

" Yon castell will be rioht dreirie. ; —:

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 101

" Auld Hallida)', young Halliday, " Ye sail be twa to gang wi' me ; " Andrew Murray, and Sir James Murray, " We'll be nae mae in cumpanie."

When that they cam before the King,

They fell befor him on their kne

" Grant mercie, mercie, nobil King !

" E'en for his sake that dyed on trie.

" Sicken like mercie sail ye have

" On gallows ye sail haugit be !" " Over God's forbode," quoth the Outlaw then,

" I hope your grace will bettir be !

" Else, ere you come to Edinburgh port,

" I trow thin guarded sail ye be

" Thir landis of Ettricke Foreste feir, " I wan them from the enemie ;

" Like as I wan them, sae will 1 keep them,

" Contrair a' kingis in Christentie."

All the nobilis the King about,

Said pitie it were to see him die- — ;

102 MINSTRELSY OF

" Yet graunt me mercie, sovereign prince !

" Extend your favour unto me !

" I'll give thee the keys of my castell,

*' Wi' the blessing o' my gaye ladye, *' Gin thou'lt make me sheriffe of this Foreste,

" And a' my offspring after me."

" Wilt thou give me the keys of thy castell,

" Wi' the blessing of thy gaye ladye ?

" I'se make thee sheriff of Ettricke Foreste,

" Surely while upward grows the trie " If you be not traitour to the King,

" Forfaulted sail thou nevir be.'"

But, Prince, what sail cum o' my men ?

" When I gae back, traitour they^l ca' me.

I had rather lose my life and land, " Ere my merryemen rebuked me."

" Will your merryemen amend their lives ?

" And a** their pardons I grant thee

" Now, name thy landis where'er they lie,

" And here I uender them to thee." ; ; ;

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 103

Fair Philiphaugh is mine by right,

" still And Lewinshope mine shall be ; Newark, Foulshiells, and Tinnies baith, " My boAv and arrow purchased me.

And I have native steads to me, " The Newark Lee and Hangingshaw

I have mony steads in the Forestc shaw,

" But them by name I dinna knaw."

The keys o' the castell he gave the King,

Wi' the blessing o*" his feir ladye He was made sherifFe of Ettricke Foreste, Surely vhile upward grows the trie

And if he \ as na traitour to the King, Forfaultea he suld nevir be.

Wha ever heard, in ony times, Sicken an Outlaw in his degre.

Sic favour get befor a King,

As did the Outlaw Murray of the Foreste frie ? 104 IMINrsTHF.r SY OF

NOTES

ON THE

SANG OF THE OUTLAW MURRAY

Tlien xjMke the Lord, higld Hamilton.—P. 88. v. 4. This is, in most copies, theea/Zhiglit Hamilton, which must be a mistake of the reciters, as the family did not enjoy that title till^l503.

James Boyd (the Earlqf Arran his brother.) ^c.—P. 89. v. 2. Thomas Boyd, Earl of Arran, was forfeited, with his father and uncle, in 1469, for an attempt on the person of James III. He had a son, James, who was restored, and in favour with James IV. about 1482. If this he the person here meant, we should read, " The Earl of Arran his son was he." Glenriddel's copy reads, " a highland laird I'm sure %vas he." Reciters sometimes call the messenger, the Laird of Skene.

Down Birhendale Brae iihen that he cam.— P. 90. v. 2.

Birkendale Brae, now commonly called Birkendaillif, is a steep descent on the south side of Minch-moor, which separates

Tweed-dale from Ettrick Forest ; and from the top of which you have the first view of the woods of Hangingshaw, the castle of Newark, and the romantic dale of Yarrow. THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 105

The Lah'd of the Corchead, S-jc. —P. 95. v. 1. This is a place at the head of Moffat-water, possessed ofold by the family of Halliday.

To Andrew Murray of Cockpool.—P. 98. v. 1. This family were ancestors of the Murrays, Earls of Annan- dale ; but the name of the representative, in the time of James IV. was William, not Andrew. Glenriddel's IMS. reads, " the " country-keeper."

To Sir James Murray of Tracjitair.—P. 96. v. 3. Before the Barony of Traquair became the property of the

Stewarts, it belonged to a family of Murrays, afterwards Mur- rays of Black-barony, and ancestors of Lord Elibank. The old castle was situated on the Tweed. The lands of Traquair were forfeited by Willielmus de Moravia, previous to 1464;

for, in that year, a charter, proceeding upon his forfeiture, was granted by the crown " Willielmo Douglas de Cluny." Sir James was, perhaps, the heir of William MuiTay. It would farther seem, that the grant in 1464 was not made effectual dated the by Douglas ; for, another charter from the crown, 3d February, 1478, conveys the estate of Traquair to James Stewart, Earl of Buchan, son of the Black Knight of Lome, and maternal uncle to James III., from whom is descended the present Earl of Traquair. The first royal grant not being followed by possession, it is very possible that the Murrays may have continued to occupy Traquair long after the date of that charter. Hence, Sir James might have reason to say, as in the ballad, " The King has gifted my lands lang syne."

James Hop Pringle of Torsonse.—V. 99. v. 1. The honourable name of Pringle, or Hoppringle, is of great antiquity in Roxburghshire and Selkirkshire. The old tower of Torsonse is situated upon the banks of the Gala. I believe the Pringles of Torsonse are now represented by Sir John Pringle of Stitchell. There are three other ancient and dis- 106 MINSTRELSY OF

tinguished families of this name ; those of Whitebank, Clif-

toiij and Torwoodlee.

He bids ye mete him at Pcrmanscore.^^ . 100. v. 1. Permanscore is a very remarkable hollow on the top of a high ridge of hills, dividing the vales of Tweed and Yarrow,

a httle to the eastward of Minch-moor. It is the outermost point of the lands of Broadmeadows. The Glenriddel MS.,

which, in this instance, is extremely inaccurate as to names, calls the place of rendezvous, " The Poor Man's House," and hints that the Outlaw was surprised by the treachery of the King:—

" Then he was aware of the King's coining, *' With hundreds three in company,

" I wot the mucllc deel • « *

" Hie learned Kingis to lie ! «« For to fetch me here frae amang my men, " Here like a dog for to die."

I beheve the reader will think with me, that the catastro-

phe is better, as now printed from JVIrs Cockburn's copy. The deceit, supposed to be practised on the Outlaw, is unworthy of the military monarch, as he is painted in the ballad ; especially if we admit him to be King James IV.

Fair Philiphaugh is mine by right.—P. 103. v. 1. In this and the following verse, the ceremony of feudal in-

vestiture is supposed to be gone through, by the Outlaw re- signing his possessions into the hands of the king, and receiving them back, to be held of him as superior. The lands of Philiphaugh are stiU possessed by the Outlaw's representative. Hangingshaw and Lewinshope were sold of late years. New- ark, Foulshiels, and Tinnies, have long belonged to the family of Buccleuch. THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 107

JOHNIE ARMSTRANG.

There will be such frequent occasion, in the course of this volume, to mention the clan, or sept, of the Arm-

strongs, that the editor finds it necessary to prefix to

this ballad some general account of that tribe.

The Armstrongs appear to have been at an early period in possession of great part of Liddesdale, and of the Debateable Land. Their immediate neighbovirhood to England rendered them the most lawless of the Bor-

der depredators ; and, as much of the country possessed by them was claimed by both kingdoms, the inhabitants, protected from justice by the one nation, in opposition to the other, securely preyed upon both.* The chief

was Armstrong of Mangertoun ; but, at a later period,

" In illustration of this position, the reader is referred to a long cor- respondence betwixt Lord Dacre and the Privy CouncU of England, in 1550, concerning one Sandye Armstrang, a partizan of England, and an inhabitant of the Debateable Land, who had threatened to become a Scottishman, if he was not protected by the English warden against the Lord of Maxwell.—See Introduction to Nicholson and Burns'' History of Cu?iibcrland and Westmoreland, 108 :\riNST-RELSY or

they are tleclared a brol

The rapacity of this clan, and of their allies, the Elliots, occasioned the popular saying, " Elliots and Armstrongs

" ride thieves all." But to what Border-family of note, in former days, would not such an adage have been equally applicable ? All along the river Liddel may still be discovered the ruins of towers, possessed b}' this numer- cns clan. They did not, however, entirely trust to these fa Witnesses; but, when attacked by a superior force, abandoned entirely theirdwellings, and retired into morasses, accessible by paths known to themselves alone. One of their most noted places of refuge was the Tan*as Moss, a desolate and horrible marsh, through which a small river takes its course. Upon its banks are found some dry spots, which were occupied by these outlaws, and their families, in cases of emergency. The stream runs furiously among huge rocks, which has occasioned a popular saying-

Was ne'er ane drown'd in Tarras, nor yet in doubt. For e'er the head can win down, the harns (brains) are out

The morass itself is so deep, that, according to an old historian, two spears tied together would not reach the bottom. In this retreat, the Armstrongs, a?mo 1588, baffled the Earl of Angus, when lieutenant on the Bor- der, although he reckoned himself so skilful in winding a thief, that he declared, " he had the same pleasure in THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 109

it, as others in Imnting a hare.' On this occasion lie was totally unsviccessful, and nearly lost his relation, Douglas of Ively, whom the freebooters made prisoner —GODSCROFT, vol. II. p. 411. Upon another occasion the Armstrongs were less fortunate. They had, in one of their incursions, plundered the town of Haltwhistle, on the borders of Cumberland. Sir Robert Carey, warden of the West Marches, demanded satisfaction from the King of Scotland, and received

for answer, that the offenders were no subjects of his, and that he might take his own revenge. The English warden accordingly entered Liddesdale, and ravaged

the lands of the outlaws ; on which occasion, Sim of the Cat-hill (an Armstrong) was killed by one of the Rid- leys of Haltwhistle. This incident procured Haltwhistle

another visit from the Armstrongs, in which they burnt great part of the town, but not without losing one of their leaders, by a shot from a window. " The death of this young man (says Sir Robert Carey)

" wrote (wrought) so deep an impression upon them (the " outlaws) as many vowes were made, that before the " end of next winter, they would lay the whole Border " waste. This (the murder) was done about the end of

" May (1598.) The chiefe of all these outlaws was old " Sim of JVhiflram.* He had five or six sonnes, as able

* Whittram is a place in Liddesdale, It is mistaken by the noble

editor for Whithern, in Galloway, as is Hartwessel (Haltwhistle, on the borders of Cumberland) for Twisel, a village on the English side of the Tweed, near Wark. 110 MINSTRELSY OF

" men as the Borders had. This old man and his sonnes " had not so few as two hundred at their commands,

" that -were ever ready to ride with them to all actions, " at their beck. " The high parts of the marsh (march) towards Scot-

" land were put in a mighty fear, and the chiefe of them,

" for themselves and the rest, petitioned to mee, and did

" assure mee, that unless I did take some course with " them by the end of that summer, there was none of " the inhabitants durst, or would, stay in their dwellings

" the next winter, but they would fley the countrey, " and leave their houses and lands to the fury of the

•' outlawes. Upon this complaint, I called the gentlemen " of the countrey together, and acquainted them with " the misery that the highest parts of the marsh towai-ds

" Scotland were likely to endure, if there were not time-

" ly prevention to avoid it, and desired them to give mee

" their best advice what course were fitt to be taken.

" They all show^ed themselves willing to give mee their " best counsailes, and most of them were of opinion, that

" Iwasnotwell advised to refuse the hundred horse that

" my Lord Euers had ; and that now my best way was " speedily to acquaint the Queue and counsaille with

" the necessity of having more soldiers, and that there

" could not be less than a hundred horse sent down for

" the defence of the countrey, besides the forty I had " already in pay, and that there w as nothing but force " of soldiers could keep them in awe ; and to let the THE SCOTTISH BORDER. Ill

' counsaile plainly understand, that the marsh, of them-

" selves, were not able to subsist, whenever the winter

" and long nights came in, unlesse present cure and re-

" medy were provided for them. I desired them to ad-

'* vise better of it, and to see if they could find out any " other means to prevent their mischievous intentions, " without putting theQuene and countrey to any further

" charge. They all resolved that there was no second

" meanes. Then I told them my intention what I meant *' to do, which was, that myself, with my two deputies, " and the forty horse that I was allowed, woidd, with " what speed wee could, make ourselves ready to go up " to the Wastes, and there wee would entrench our- " selves, and lye as near as wee could to the out-

" lawes ; and, if there were any brave spirits among " them, that would go with us, they should be very " Wellcome, and fare and lye as well as myselfe : and I " did not doubt, before the summer ended, to do some- " thing that should abate the pride of these outlawes. " Those that were unwilling to hazard themselves, liked

" not this motion. They said, that, in so doing, I might

" keep the country quiet the time I lay there, but, when

** the winter approached, I could stay there no longer,

" and that was the theeves' time to do all their mis- " chiefe. But there were divers young gentlemen that " offered to go with mee, some with three, some with

" four horses, and to stay with mee as long as I would

*' there continue. I took a list of those that offered to

" go with mee, and found, that, with myself, my offi- " cers, the gentlemen, and our servants, wee should be 112 MINSTRELSY OF

" about tAvo hundred good men and horse ; a competent

" number, as I thought, for such a service. " The day and place was appointed for our meeting '' in the Wastes, and, by the help of the Foot of Liddis- "' dale* and Risdale, wee had soone built a pretty fort,

" and within it we had all cabines made to lye in, and

'^ every one brought beds or matresses to lye on. There

" wee stayed from the middest of June, till almost the " end of August. VVe were betweene fifty and sixty gen-

" tlemen, besides their servants and my horsemen ; so " that wee were not so few as two hundred horse. Wee " wanted no provisions for ourselves nor our horses, for " the countrey people were well paid for any thing they

" brought us ; so that wee had a good market every

" day, before our fort, to buy what we lacked. The " chiefe outlawes at our coming, fled their houses where " they dwelt, and betooke themselves to a large and

" great forest (with all their goodes,) which was called

" the Tarras. It was of that strength, and so surroimd- " ed with bogges and marish grounds, and thicke bushes " and shrubbes, as they feared not the force nor power " of England nor Scotland, so long as they were there.

" They sent me word, that I Avas like the first pufFe oi"

" a haggasscji" hottest at the first, and bade me stay

* The Foot of Liddisdalc were the garrison of King James in the tabtle of Hermitage, who assisted Carey on this occasion, as the Arm- strongs were outlaws to both nations. t A haggis, (according to Burns, " the chieftain of the pudding- race,") is an olio, composed of the liver, heart, &c. of a sheep, minced THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 113

" there as long as the weather would give me leave.

" They would stay in the Tarras Wood till I was weary

" of lying in the Waste : and when I had had my time,

" and they no whit the worse, they would play theii- " parts, which should keep mee waking the next win-

" ter. Those gentlemen of the country that came not " with mee, were of the same minde; for they knew

" (or thought at least,) that my force was not sufficient

" to withstand the furey of the outlawes. The time I

" staid at the fort I was not idle, but cast, by all meanes

" I could, how to take them in the great strength they

" were in. I found a meanes to send a hundred and

" fifty horsemen into Scotland (conveighed by a muf-

" fled man,* not known to one of the company,) thirty " miles within Scotland, and the businesse was carried

" so, that none in the countrey tooke any alarm at this <' passage. They were quietly brought to the backside " of the Tarras, to Scotland-ward. There they divided " themselves into three parts, and took up three pas-

" sages which the outlawes made themselves secure of,

" if from England side they should at anytime be put at.

down with oatmeal, onions, and spices, and boiled in the stoniacli of the animal, by way of bag. When this bag is cut, the contents {if this savoury dish be well made) should spout out with the heated air. This wiU explain the allusion. * A Muffled Man means a person in disguise^ a very necessary precaution for the guide's safety ; for, could the outlaws have learned who played them this trick, beyond all doubt it must have cost him dear. 114 MINSTRELSY OF

" They had their scoutes on the tops of hills, on the Eng-

" lish side, to give them warning if at any time any " power of men should come to surprise them. The three

" ambushes were safely laid, without being discovered, " and, about four o'clock in the morning, there were " three hundred horse, and a thousand foot,* that came " directly to the place where the scoutes lay. They gave

" the alarm ; our men brake down as fast as they could

" into the wood. The outlawes thought themselves afe,

" assuring themselves at any time to escape ; but they

" were so strongly set upon, on the English side, as they " were forced to leave their goodes, and betake them- " selves to their passages towards Scotland, There was

" presently five taken of the principal of them. The rest,

" seeing themselves, as they thought, betrayed, retired " into the thicke woodes and bogges,t that our men " durst not follow them for fear of loosing themselves.

" The principall of the five, that were taken, were two

" of the eldest sonnes of 'S'//« of Whitram. These five " they brought to mee to the fort, and a number of

• From this it would appear, that Carey, although his constant attendants in his fort consisted only of 200 horse, had upon tliis occasion, by the assistance, probably, of the English and Scottish royal garrisons, collected a much greater force.

trees in •f There are now no Liddcsdale, except on the banks of the rivers, where they are protected from the sheep. But the stumps and

fallen timber, which arc every where found in the morasses, attest how well the country must have been wooded in former days. —

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 115

*' goodes, both of sheep and kine, which satisfied most " part of the country that they had stolen them from.

" The five, that were taken, were of great worth and

" value amongst them ; insomuch, that, for their liberty,

" I should have what conditions I should demand or de-

*' sire. First, all English prisoners were set at liberty.

" Then had I themselves, and most part of the gentle-

" men of the Scottish side, so strictly bound in bondes

" to enter to mee, in fifteen dayes warning, any ofFend-

" our, that they durst not, for their lives, break any co- " venant that I made with them ; and so, upon tliese

" conditions, 1 set them at liberty, and was never after " troubled with these kind of people. Thus God bless- " ed me in bringing this great trouble to so quiet an

" end ; wee brake up our fort, and every man retired to

" his own house." Carey's Memoirs, p. 151. The people of Liddesdale have retained, by tradition, the remembrance of Carey's Raid, as they call it. They tel], that, while he was besieging the outlaws in the Tar- ras, they contrived, by ways known only to themselves, to send a party into England, who plundered the warden's lands. On their return, they sent Carey one of his own cows, telling him, that, fearing he might fall short of provision during his visit to Scotland, tliey had taken the precaution of sending him some English beef. The anecdote is too chai-acteristic to be suppressed. From this narrative, the power and strength of the Armstrongs, at this late period, appear to have been very considerable. Even upon the death of Queen Elizabeth,

VOL. I. H — — — —

116 MINSTIIEI-SY OF this clan, associated with other banditti of the West Marches, to the number of two or three hundred horse, entered England in a hostile manner, and extended their ravages as far as Penrith. James VI., then at Berwick, upon his journey to his new capital, detached a large force, under Sir William Selby, captain of Berwick, to bring these depredators to order. Their raid, remarkable for being the last of any note occurring in history, was avenged in an exemplary manner. Most of the strong- holds upon the Liddel were razed to the foundation, and several of the principal leaders executed at Carlisle; after which we find little mention of the Armstrongs in history. The precautions, adopted by the Earl of Dunbar, to preserve peace on the Borders, bore peculiarly hard upon a body of men, long accustomed to the most un- governed licence. They appear, in a great measure, to have fallen victims to the strictness of the new enactments. Redpath, p. 703, Stow, 8I9. Laing, vol.

I. The lands, possessed by them in former days, have chiefly come into the hands of the Buccleuch family, and of the Elliots ; so that, with one or two exceptions, we may say, that, in the country which this warlike clan once occupied, there is hardly left a land-holder of the name.

One of the last Border reivers was, however, of this family, and lived within the beginning of the last century. After having made himself dreaded over the

whole country, he at last came to the following end :

One , a man of large property, having lost twelve THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 117

cows in one night, raised the country of Tiviotdale, and traced the robbers into Liddesdale, as far as the house of this Armstrong, commonly called JVillie of Westbnrn- fial, from the place of his residence, on the banks of the Hermitage water. Fortunately for the pursuers, he was then asleep ; so that he was secured, along with nine of his friends, without much resistance. He was brought

to trial at Selkirk ; and, although no precise evidence was adduced to convict him of the special fact (the cattle never having been recovered,) yet the jury brought him in gidlly on his general chai'acter, or, as it is called in our law, on habit and repute. When sentence was pronounced, Willie arose; and, seizing the oaken chair in which he was placed, broke it into pieces by main strength, and offered to his companions, who were in- volved in the same doom, that, if they would stand behind him, he would fight his way out of Selkirk with these weapons. But they held his hands, and besought him to let them dielike Christians. They were accordingly executed in form of law. This incident is said to have happened at the last Circuit Court held at Selkirk. The

people of Liddesdale, who (perhaps not erroneously) still consider the sentence as iniquitous, remarked, that , the prosecutor, never throve afterwards, but came to beggary and ruin, with his whole family.

Johnie Armstrong, of Gilnockie, the hero of the fol-

lowing ballad, is a noted personage, both in history and

tradition, lie was, it would seem from the ballad, a brother of the Laird of Mangertoun, chief of the name. —

118 IMINSTllELSY OF

His place of residence (now a roofless tower) was at the

Hollows, a few miles from Langholm, where its ruins still serve to adorn a scene, which, in natural beauty, has few equals in Scotland. At the head of a desperate band of free-booters, this Armstrong is said to have spread the terror of his name almost as far as Newcastle, and to have levied black mail, or protection and forbearance money, for many miles around. James V., of whom it was long remembered by his grateful people that he made the " rush-bush keep the cow," about 1529, un- dertook an expedition through the Border counties, to suppress the turbulent spirit of the Marchmen. But, before setting out upon his journey, he took the precaution of imprisoning the different Border chieftains, who were the chief protectors of the marauders. The Earlof Bothwell was forfeited, and confined in Edinburgh castle. The Lords of Home and Maxwell, the Lairds of

Buccleuch, Fairniher st, and Johnston, with many others, were also committed to ward. Cockbum of Henderland, and Adam Scott of Tushielaw, called the King of the

Border, were publicly executed. Lesley, p. 430. The King then marched rapidly forward, at the head of a flying army of ten thousand men, through Ettrick Forest and Ewsdale. The evil genius of our Johnie Armstrong, or, as others say, the private advice of some courtiers, prompted him to present himself before James, at the head of thirty-six horse, arrayed in all the pomp of Bor- der chivalry. Pitscottie uses nearly the words of the ballad, in describing the splendour of his equipment,

t —

THE SCOTTISH BORDEU. 119 and his high expectations of favour from the King. " But " James^ looking upon him sternly, said to his attend-

" ants, ' What wants that knave that a king should " have ?' and ordered him and his followers to instant " execution."—" But John Armstrong," continues this minute historian, " made great offers to the King. That " he should sustain himself, with forty gentlemen, ever

" ready at his service, on their own cost^ without wrong-

" ing any Scottishman : Secondly, that there was not a

" subject in England, duke, earl, or baron, but, within " a certain day, he should bring him to his majesty, '* either quick or dead.* At length he, seeing no hope

" of favour, said very proudly, ' It is folly to seek grace

" at a graceless face ; but,' said he, ' had I known this,

" I should have lived upon the Borders in despite of

" The Borderers, from their habits of life, were capable of most extraordinary exploits of this nature. In the year 1511, Sir Robert Ker of Cessford, warden of the Middle Marches of Scotland, was murdered at a Border.meeting, by the bastard Heron, Starhead, and Lilburn.

The English monarch delivered up Lilburn to justice in Scotland, but Heron and Starhead escaped. The latter chose his residence in the very centre of England, to baffle the vengeance of Ker's clan and followers. Two dependants of the deceased, called Tait, were deputed

by Andrew Ker of Cessford to revenge his father's murder. They tra-

velled through England in various disguises, till they discovered the place of Starhead's retreat, nmrdered him in his bed, and brought his

head in triumph to Edinburgh, where Ker caused it to be exposed at

the Cross. The bastard Heron would have shared the same fate, had he not spread abroad a report of his having died of the plague, and

caused his funeral obsequies to be performed Ridpath's History, p. 481— Scealso Metrical Account of the Battle ofFlodden, puhlishcd hy the Rev. Mr Lambe. — —

120 MINSTRELSY OF

" King Harry and you both ; for I know King Harry

" would down-weigh my best horse with gold, to know

" that I were condemned to die this day." Pitscot- tie's History, p. 145. Johnie, with all his retinue, was accordingly hanged upon growing trees, at a place called Carlenrig chapel, about ten miles above Hawick, on the high road to Langholm. The country people believe, that, to manifest the injustice of the execution, the trees withei'ed av/ay. Armstrong and his followers were buried in a deserted churchyard, where their graves are still shewn.

y\s this Border hero was a person of great note in his

way, he is frequently alluded to by the writers of the time. Sir David Lindsay of the Mount, in the curious play published by Mr Pinkerton, from the Bannatyne MS., introduces a pardoner, or knavish dealer in xe- liques, who produces, among his holy rarities

The cordis, baith grit and lang, QuhiU hangit Johnie Armistrang, Of gude hempt, soft and sound.

Gude haly pepill, I stand ford, Wha'evir beis hangit in this cord,

Xeidis never to be drowned !

Pi NKEB ton's Scottish Poems, vol. II. p. 69.

In The Coynplaijnt of Scotland, John Armistrangis' dance,

mentioned as a popular tune, lias probably some reference to our hero. The common people of the high parts of Tiviotdale, Liddesdale, and the country adjacent, hold the memory of Johnie Armstrong in very high respect. They affirm THE SCOTTISH BOKDEK. 121

also, that one of his attendants broke through the Khig's guards and carried to Gilnockie Tower the news of the bloody catastrophe.

This song was first published by Allan Ramsay, in his

Evergreen, who says, he copied it from the mouth of a gentleman, called Armstrong, who was in the sixth ge- neration from this John. The reciter assured him, that this was the genuine old ballad, the common one false. By the common one, Ramsay means an English ballad upon the same subject, but differing in various particulars, which is published in Mr Ritson's English Songs, vol. II. It is fortunate for the admirers of the old ballad, that it did not fall into Ramsay's hands when he was equipping with new sets of words the old Scottish times in his Tea-Table Miscellany. Since his time it has been often re-printed. —

122 :SIINST11KLSY OF

JOHNIE AKMSTRANG.

Sum s|}eikis of lords, sum sjjeikis of lairds,

And sick lyke men of hie degrie ;

Of a gentleman I sing a sang, Sum tvme called Laird of Gilnockie.

The King he wrytes a luving letter,

With his ain hand sae tenderly.

And he hath sent it to Johnie Armstran^ To cum and speik with him speedily.

The Eliots and Armstrangs did convene. They were a gallant cumpanie " AVe'll ride and meit our lawful King, " And bring him safe to Gilnockie. ! —

THE SCOTTISH BORDEI?. 12.1

" Make kinnen* and capon ready then, " And venison in great plentie ; " We""!! wellcum here our royal King ; !" " I hope he'll dine at Gilnockie

They ran their horse on the Langholme howm,

And brak their spears wi' mickle main ;

The ladies lukit frae their loft windows " God bring our men weel back agen !"

When Johnie cam before the King,

Wi' a' his men sae brave to see,

The King he movit his bonnet to him ; He ween'd he was a King as well as he.

" May I find grace, my sovereign liege,

" Grace for my loyal men and me ?

" For my name it is Johnie Armstrang,

" And subject of your's, my liege,"" said he.

'* Away, away, thou traitor Strang

" Out o' my sight soon may'st thou be !

" I grantit nevir a traitor's life,

" And now I'll not begin wi' thee."

* Kinnen—Rabbits. ——;

124 :\[ix.si'ri:t.sv of

" Grant me niv life, uiv liege, inv King I

" And a bonnv gift I'll gle to thee " Full four and twenty milk-white steids,

" Were a' foaled in ae vear to me.

" I'll gie thee a"" thebc milk-white steids, " That prance and nicker* at a speir " And as mickle gude Inglish gilt,+

" As four o"" their hraid backs dowt bear.

" Away, away, thou traitor Strang ! " Out o' my sight soon may'st thou be !

" I grantit never a traitor's life,

" And now I'll not begin wi"" thee !'

•' Grant me my life, my liege, my King I

•' And a bonn}- gift I'll gie to tiiee

•' Gude four and twenty gangingg mill.s,

" That gang thro" a' the yeir to inc.

i\';cAv;_Neif;h. -j- <;i//_(;ol(i. D(i7( — Able to. i§ Gauging—Going. ——

THi: bCOT'l'lSII BOKUKI!. 125

*' These four and twenty mills complete, " Sail gang for thee thro' a' the yeir ; " And as mlckle of gude reid wheit,

" As a' their happers dow to bear."

" Away, away, thou traitor Strang !

" Out o' my sight soon may'st Uiou be

" I grantit nevir a traitor's life,

*' And now I'll not begin wi' thee.""

Grant me my life, my liege, my King

" And a great gift I'll gie to thee

Bauld four and twenty sister's sons,

" Sail for thee fecht, tho' a' should flee !'

Away, away, thou traitor Strang !

" Out o' my sight soon may'st thou be

I grantit nevir a traitor's life,

'* And now I'll not begin ^\i' thee."

Grant me my life, my liege, my King !

" And a brave gift I'll gie to thee All between heir and Newcastle town

" Sail pay their yeirly rent to thee."; — —;

126 ]M1NSTREI-SY OK

" Away, away, thou traitor Strang !

" Out o"" my sight soon may'st thou be !

" I grantit nevir a traitor's hfe, " And now 111 not begin wi' thee."

" Ye lied,* ye lied, now. King,"" he says,

" Altho"" a King and Prince ye be !

" For IVe luved naething in my life,

" I weel dare say it, but honesty

Save a fat horse, and a fair woman,

*' Twa bonny dogs to kill a deir But England suld have found me meal and mault,

" Gif I had lived this hundred yeir !

" She suld have found me meal and mault,

" And beef and mutton in a' plentie ; " But nevir a Scots wyfe could have said,

" That e''er I skaithed her a puir flee.

" To selk het water beneith caiild ice,

*• Surely it is a greit folic

" I have asked grace at a graceless face, " But there is nane for my men and me !

• fJrd— Lye. —

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 127

" But had I kennVl ere I cam frae hame,

" How thou unkind wadst been to me !

" I wad have keepit the Border side,

" In spite of all thy force and thee.

" Wist England's King that I was ta'en, " O gin a blythe man he wad be !

" For anes I slew his sister's son,

" And on his breist bane brak a trie,"

John wore a girdle about his middle,

Imbroidered ower wi' burning gold,

Bespangled wi' the same metal, Maist beautiful was to behold.

There hang nine targats* at Johnie's hat,

And ilk ane worth three hundred pound " What wants that knave that a King suld have,

" But the sword of honour and the crown ?

" O whair got thou these targats, Johnie,

" That blink-|- sae brawly abune thy bri

" I gat them in the field fechting,

* TaigiUs—Tassels. -f Blink sac b/aiclie—Glance so bravely- —

128 ^IINSTRELSY OF

" Had I my horse, and harness gude,

" And I'iding as I wont to be, "It suld have been tauld this hundred yeir,

" Tlie meeting of my King and me !

" God be with thee, Kirsty,* my brother !

" Lang live thou Laird of Mangertoun !

'• Lang may^st thou hve on the Border syde, " Ere thou see thy brother ride up and down

" And God be with thee, Kirsty, my sou,

" Where thou sits on thy nurse's knee !

" But and thou hve this hundred yeir,

" Thv father''s better thoiHt nevir be.

Farewell ! my bonny Gilnock hall, " Where on Esk side thou standest stout

Gif I had lived but seven yeirs mair,

" I wad hae ffilt thee round about."

John murder'd was at ('arlinrigg,

And all his gallant cumpanie ; But Scotland's heart was ne'er sae wae, To see sae moiiy brave men die

* Clirisiopher. THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 129

Because they saved their countrey deir

Frae EngUshmen ! Nane were sae bauld While Johnie hved on the Border syde, Nane of them durst cum neir his hauld. :

130 MINSTllELSY OF

SUPPLEMENT

TO THE BALLAD OF JOHNIE ARMSTRANG.

The editor believes his readers will not be displeased to see a Bond of Manrent, granted by this Border freebooter to the Scottish warden of the West Marches, in return for the gift of a feudal casualty of certain lands particularized. It is extracted from Syme's Collection of Old Writings, MS., penes Dr Robert Anderson, of Edinburgh.

BOND OF MANRENT.

Be it kend till all men, be thir present letters, me, Johne Armistrang, for to be bound and oblist, and be the tenor of thir present letters, and faith and trewth in my body, lehe and trewlie, bindis and oblissis me and myn airis, to ane nobil and michtie lord, Robert Lord JMaxwell, wardane of the West Marches of Scotland, that, forasmikle as my said lord has given and grantit to me, and mine airis perpetuallie, the nonentries of all and hail the lands underwritten, that is to say, the landis of Dalbetht, Shield, Dalblane, Stapil-Gortowi, Langholme, and ***** *^ with their pertindis, lyand in the lordship of

Eskddle, as his gift, maid to mc, therupon beris in the self and that for all the tymc of the nonentres of the samyn. Their- THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 131

for, I, the said Johne Armistrang, bindis and oblissis me and myne airis, in manrent and service to the said Robert Lord Maxwell, and his airis, for evermair, first and befor all uthirs, rayne allegiance to our soverane lord, the King, aUanerly ex-

cept ; and to be trewe, gude, and lele servant to my said lord, and be ready to do him service, baith in pece and weir, mth all my kyn, friends, and servants, that I may and dowe to raise, and be and to my said lord's airis for evermair. And sail take his true and plane part in all maner of actions at myn outer power, and sail nouther wit, hear, nor se my said lordis skaith, lak, nor dishonestie, but we sail stop and lett the samyn, and geif we dowe not lett the samyn, we sail warn him

thereof in all possible haist ; and geif it happenis me, the said Johne Armistrang, or myne airis, to fail in our said service and manrent, any maner of way, to our said lord (as God forbid we do,) than, and in that caiss, the gift and nonentres maid be him to us, of the said landis of Dalbetht, Schield, Dalblane, Stapil-Gortown, Langholme, and * * * * » *^ ^ith the perti-

nentis, to be of no avale, force, nor effect ; but the said lord and his airis to have free regress and ingress to the nonentres of the samyn, but ony pley or impediment. To the keeping and fulfilling of all and sundry the premisses, in form above

written, I bind and obliss me and my airis foresaids, to the said lord and his airis for evennare, be the faithis treuthis in our bodies, but fraud or gile. In witness of the whilk thing, to thir letters of manrent subscrievit, with my hand at the pen, my sele is hangin, at Dumfries, the secund day of November, the yeir of God, Jaiv and XXV. yeiris. Johne Armistrang, with my hand at the pen.

The lands, here mentioned, were the possessions of Arm- strong himself, the investitures of which not having been regularly renewed, the feudal casualty of non-entry had been in-

curred by the vassal. The brother of Johnie Armstrang is said to have founded, or rather repaired, Langholm castle, before

VOL. 1. 1 — —

132 MINSTKELSV OF

which, as mentioned in the ballad, verse 5th, they " ran their " horse," and " braJc their spears," in the exercise of Border chivalry. Account of the Parish of Langholm, apud Marfar- lane's MSS. The lands of Langholm and Staplegorton con-

tinued in Armstrong's family ; for there is in the same i\IS. collection a similar bond of manrent, granted by " Cristofer

" Armstrang, caUt Johne's Pope," on 24th January, loo7, to Lord Johne Lord JVIaxwell, and to Sir Johne JNlaxwell of Ter- reglis. Knight, his tutor and governor, in return for the gift " of the males of all and haill the landis whLlk are conteint " in ane bond made by umquhile Johne Armistrang, my fa- " ther, to umquhile Robert, Lord iMaxwell, gudshore to the " said Johne, now Lord iMaxwell." It would therefore appear, that the bond of manrent, granted by John Armstrong, had been the price of his release from the feudal penalty arising from his having neglected to procure a regular investiture from

his superior. As Johnie only touched the pen, it appears that he could not wTite.

Christo])her Armstrong, above mentioned, is the person alluded to in the conclusion of the ballad—" God be with thee, " Kirsty my son." He was the father, or grandfather, of WiUiam Armstrong, called Christie's Will, a renowned freebooter, some of whose exploits the reader will find recorded in the third volume of this work. jMr Ellis of Otterbourne has kindly pointed out the following instance of the ferocity of the Armstrongs, which occurs in the confession of one John Weir, a prisoner in the tolbooth of Edinburgh, under sentence of death, in 1 700 : " In IVIay " 1700, John Weire went to Grandee Knows, (near Halt- " whistle, in Northumberland,) to the mother of the four " brethren the Armstrongs, which Armstrongs, and the afore- " said Burley, did cut the tongue and ear out of William Tur- " ner, for informing that they were bad persons, which Tur- " ner wrote with his blood that they had used him so."

Weire also mentions one Thomas Armstrong, called Luck i' the Bagg, who lived in Cumberland. The extent of their depredations in horse-stealing seems to have been astonishing. THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 133

LORD EWRIE.

Sir Ralph Evre, or Ewrie, or Evers, commemorated in the following lines, was one of the bravest men of a military race. He was son of the first, and father of the second Lord Ewrie ; and was himself created a

Lord of Parliament during his father's lifetime, in the

35th year of Henry VI H. The ballad is apparently a strain of gratulation upon that event. The poet, or more probably the reciter, has made some confusion in the lineage, by declaring that his hero was ** married •' upon a Willoughbe." His mother, however, was of

that family, and he was " kin to the Nevil and to the " Percy." He was ennobled by Henry, on account of the vigour with which he prosecuted the Border war-

fare. But after " harrying the Mers and Tiviotdale,

" and knocking at Edinburgh gate," Lord Ewrie was

slain in the battle of Ancram Moor, fought between

him and the Earl of Angus, in 1546. See Note to the

Eve of St Jolm, vol. iii. 134 MINSTRELSY OF

This song was written down by my obliging friend Richard Surtees, Esq. of Mainsforth, from the recitation of Rose Smith, of Bishop Middleham, a woman aged upwards of ninety-one, whose husband's father and two brothers were killed in the affair of 1715. :

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 135

LORD EWRIE.

Lord Ewrie was as brave a man,

As ever stood in his degree ; The King has sent him a broad letter, All for his courage and loyalty.*

Lord Ewrie is of a gen till blode, A knighte's son sooth to say

He is kin to the Nevill and to the Percy,

And is married upon a Willowbe.

A noble knight him trained upp,

Sir Rafe Bulmer is the man I mean ;

At Flodden field, as men do say,

No better capten there was seen.

• Patent letters of nobility. ;

136 MINSTRELSY OF

He led the men of Bishopricke,

When Thomas Ruthal bore the sway : Tho' the Scottish Habs* were stout and true. The English bow^men wan that day.

And since he has kepte Berwick upon Tweed,

The town was never better kept, I wot

He maintained leal and order along the Border,

And still was ready to prick the Scot.

The country then lay in great peace, And grain and grass was sown and won

Then plenty fillVl the market crosse, When Lord Ewrie kept Berwick town.

With our Queen's brother he hath been,

And rode rough shod through Scotland of late : They have burned the Mers and Tiviotdale, And knocked full loud at Edinburgh gate.

Now the King hath sent him a broad letter,

A Lord of Parliament to be :

It were well if every nobleman

Stood like Lord Ewrie in his degree.

• Hahs contracted for Halbert, or Hobbie, once a common name in Scotland. THE SCOTTISH BORDEll. 13'

NOTES

LORD EWRIE.

Sir liafe Bulmer is the man I mean.—P. 135. v, 3. Sir William Bulmer of Brunspeth castle^ who is here said to have commanded the troops raised in the Bishopricke, in the battle of Floddenfield, was descended from an ancient, and, at one period, noble family. The last who was summoned to Parliament as a Peer of the realm, was Ralph, from 1st till 23d Edward III. Sir William routed the Bor- derers, who, under the command of Lord Home, made an excursion into Northumberland, previous to the battle of Flodden. He is mentioned in the Metrical History of the

Battle, V. 105, &c. In the present ballad, he is erroneously denominated Sir Ralph Bulmer.

With our Queens brother he hath been.—P. 136. v. 4. The Earl of Hartford, afterwards Duke of Somerset, and brother of Queen Jane Seymour, made a furious incursion into Scotland, in 1545. See Introduction. 138 XIINSTRELSY OF

THE I.OCHMABEN HARPER.

XOW FIRST PUBLISHED.

The Ciistle of Lochmaben wasformerly a noble building, situa- tedupon a peninsula, projecting into one ofthefour lakes tvhich are in the neighbourhood of the royal burgh, and is said to have been the residence of Robert Bruce, while Lord of An- nandale. Accordingly it was always held to be a royalfort- ress, the keeping of which, according to the custom of the times, was granted to some powerful lord, with an allotment of lands andfishings, for the defence and maintenance of the place. There is extant a grant, dated I6th March, 1511, to

Robert Lauder ofthe Bass, ofthe office of Captain and Keeper of Lochmaben Castle, for seven years, with many perquisites. Among others, the " land, stolen frae the King," is bestow^ ed on the Captain, as his proper lands. What shall we say of a country, where the very ground was the subject of theft ?

O HEARD ye na o"* the silly blind Harper,

How lang he lived in Lochmaben town ?

And how he wad gang to fair England,

To steal the Lord Warden''s Wanton Brown ? —; — ;

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 139

But first he gaed to his gude wyfe,

Wr a' the haste that he could thole " This wark," quo he, " will ne'er gae weel,

" Without a mare that has a foal."

Quo' she—" Thou hast a gude gray mare,

" That can baith lance o'er laigh and hie

" Sae set thee on the gray mare's back, " And leave the foal at hame wi' me."

So he is up to England gane, And even as fast as he may drie And when he cam to Carlisle gate,

O whae was there but the Warden, he ?

" Come into my hall, thou silly blind Harper,

" And of thy harping let me hear !" " O by my sooth," quo' the silly blind Harper, " I wad rather hae stabling for my mare."

The Warden look'd ower his left shoulder. And said unto his stable groom

" Gae take the silly blind Harper's mare,

" And tie her beside my Wanton Brown." ; ; ; ;

140 MINSTRELSY OF

Then aye he harped, and aye he carped,*

Till a' the lordlings footed the floor

But an' the music was sae sweet,

The groom had nae mind o' the stable door.

And aye lie harped, and aye he carped,

Till a' the nobles were fast asleep

Then quickly he took afF his shoon.

And saftly down the stair did creep.

Syne to the stable door he hied,

Wi' tread as light as light could be

And when he opened and gaed in,

There he fand thirty steeds and three.

He took a cowt halter-f- frae his hose,

And o"* his purpose he didna fail

He slipt it ower the Wanton's nose,

And tied it to his gray mare's tale.

He turned them loose at the castle gate,

Ower muir and moss and ilka dale ;

And she ne'er let the Wanton bait,

But kept him a-galloping hame to her foal.

• Carped— Sung. f Cnwl hnlffr—CoWs halter. ; ;— — *

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 141

The mare she was right swift o"" foot.

She didna fail to find the way For she was at Lochmaben gate, A lang three hours before the day.

When she cam to the Harper's door, There she gave mony a nicker and sneer— " " Rise up," quo' the wife, thou lazy lass ; " Let in thy master and his mare."

Then up she rose, put on her clothes.

And keekit through at the lock-hole " O ! by my sooth," then cried the lass, !" " Our mare has gotten a braw browTi foal

" Come, haud thy tongue, thou silly wench !

" The morn's but glancing in your e'e.''

" I'll wad-f- my hail fee against a groat,

" He's bigger than e'er our foal will be."

Now all this while, in merry Carlisle, The Harper harped to hie and law

And the fiend ;[ dought they do but listen him to. Until that the day began to daw.

• Nicker and sneer—Neigh and snort.

-|- Wad my hailfee—Bet my whole wages.

:]: Fiend donghf they rfo—-Nothing could they do. ; ; ;

142 MINSTIIEI>SY OF

But on the morn, at fair day-light,

Wlien they had ended a' their cheer. Behold the Wanton Brown was gane.

And eke the poor blind Harper's mare !

!" " Allace ! allace quo' the cunning auld Harper, " And ever allace that I cam here

*' In Scotland I lost a braw cowt foal, " In England they've stown my gude gray mare !"

" Come ! cease thy allacing, thou silly blind Harper,

" And again of thy harping let us hear

" And weel payd sail thy cowt-foal be,

** And thou sail have a far better mare."

Then aye he harped, and aye he carped

Sae sweet were the harpings he let them hear !

He was paid for the foal he had never lost. And three times ower for the gude Gray Mare. THE SCOTTISH BORDER.

NOTES

ON THE LOCHMABEN HARPER.

The only remark which offers itself on the foregoing ballad seems to be, that it is the most modern in which the harp, as a Border instrument of music, is found to occur. I cannot dismiss the subject of Lochmaben, without noticing an extraordinary and anomalous class of landed proprietors, who dwell in the neighbourhood of that burgh. These are the inhabitants of four small villages, near the ancient castle, called the Four Towns of Lochmaben. They themselves are termed the King's Rentallers, or kindly tenants ; under which denomination each of them has a right, of an allodial nature, to a small piece of ground. It is said, that these people are the descendants of Robert Bruce's menials, to whom he assigned, in reward of their faithful service, these portions of land, burdened only with the payment of certain quit-rents, and gras- sums, or fines, upon the entry of a new tenant. The right of the rentallers is, in essence, a right of property, but, in form, only a right of lease ; of which they appeal for the fotindation to the rent-rolls of the lord of the castle and manor. This possession, by rental, or by simple entry upon the rent-roll, was anciently a common, and peculiarly sacred, species of 144 MINSTRELSY OF

property, granted by a chief to his faithful followers ; the con^ nection of landlord and tenant being esteemed of a nature too formal to be necessary, where there was honour on the one side, and gratitude upon the other. But, in the case of subjects granting a right of this kind, it was held to expire with

the life of the granter, unless his heir chose to renew it ; and also upon the death of the rentaller himself, unless especially granted to his heirs, by which term only his first heir was understood. Hence, in modern days, the Idndly tenants have entirely disappeared from the land. Fortunately for the inhabitants of the Four Towns of Lochmaben, the maxim, that the king can never die, prevents their right of property from reverting to the crown. The Viscount of Stonnonth, as royal keeper of the castle, did, indeed, about the beginning of last century, make an attempt to remove the rentallers from their possessions, or at least to procure judgment, finding them obliged to take out feudal investitures, and subject themselves to the casualties thereto annexed. But the rentallers united in

their common defence : and, having stated their immemorial possession, together with some favourable clauses in certain old acts of Parliament, enacting, that the King's;:)oor kindli) tenants of Lochmaben should not be hurt, they finally prevailed in an action before the Court of Session. From the pecuhar state

of their right of property, it follows, that there is no occasion

for feudal investitures, or the formal entry of an heir ; and, of

course, when they chuse to convey their lands, it is done by a simple deed of conveyance, without charter or sasine.

The kindly tenants of Lochmaben live (or at least lived till lately) much sequestered from their neighbours, marry among themselves, and are distingviished from each other by soubri-

quets, according to the ancient Border custom, repeatedly noticed. You meet among their writings, with such names as John Out-bife, Win In-hye, White-fish, Red-fish, &c. They are tenaciously obstinate in defence of their privileges of com- monty, &c. which are numerous. Their lands are, in general, neatly inclosed, and well ciUtivated, and they form a content*

cd and industrious little connnunilv. THE SCOTTISH BOllDER. 145

Many of these particulars are extracted from the MSS. of Mr Syrae, writer to the signet. Those who are desirous of more information, may consult Craig de Feudis, Lib. H. dig.

9. sec. 24. It is hoped the reader will excuse this digression,

though somewhat professional ; especially as there can be little doubt that this diminutive republic must soon share the fate of mightier states ; for, in consequence of the increase of commerce, lands possessed under this singular tenure, being now often brought to sale, and purchased by the neighbouring proprietors, will, in process of time, be included in their investitures, and the right of ren tallage be entirely forgotten. 146 MINSTRELSY OF

JAMIE TELFER

OF THE FAIR DODHEAD.

There is another ballad, under the same title as the following, in

which nearly the same incidents are narrated, ivith little difference, except that the honour of rescuing- the cattle is attributed to the Liddesdale Elliots, headed by a Chief, there called Martin Elliot of the Preakin Tower, whose son, Simon, is said to have fallen in the action. It is very possible, that both the Teviotdale Scotts, and the Elliots, were engaged in the

affair, and that each claimed the honour of the victory. The editor presumes, that the Willie Scott, here mentioned, must have been a natural son of the Laird of Buccleuch.

It fell about the Martinmas tyde,

When our Border steeds get corn and hay,

The Captain of Bewcastle hath bound him to ryde,

And he's ower to Tividale to drive a prey. ; ;

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 147

The first ae guide that they met wi'

It was high up in Hardhaughswire ;

The second guide that they met wi"", It was laigh down in Borthwick water.

" What tidings, what tidings, my trusty guide ?" " Nae tidings, nae tidings, I hae to thee

" But gin ye""!! gae to the fair Dodhead,

" Mony a cow's cauf I'll let thee see.*"

And whan they cam to the fair Dodhead, Right hastily they clam the peel

They loosed the kye out, ane and a"".

And ranshackled * the liouse ris^ht weel.

Now Jamie Telfer's heart was sair,

The tear aye rowing in his e'e ; He pled wi' the Captain to hae his gear. Or else revenged he wad be.

The Captain turn'd him round and leugh ; Said—" Man, there's naething in thy house, " But ae auld sword without a sheath,

" That hardly now wad fell a mouse."

Jiiiiisliarklrd— Ransacked. K ——

]48 :\Il^^s^7n.Lsv ok

The s\iu wasna up, but the moon was down,

It was the grynihig* of a new-fa^n snaw,

Jamie Telfer has run ten niyles a-foot, Between the Dodhead and the Stobs's Ha'

And wlian lie cam to the fair tower 3'ate, He shouted loud, and cried weel hie, Till out bcspak auld Gibby Elliot " Whae's this that brings the frave to me?'

It's I, Jamie Telfer o' the fair Dodhead, " And a harried man I think I be !

There's naething left at the fair Dodhead, " But a waefu' wife and bairnies three."

Gae seek your succour at Branksome Ha',

" For succour ye'se get. nana frae me ! Gae seek your succour where ye paid black-mail,

" For, man ! ve ne'er paid money. to me."

Jamie has turn'd him round about,

I wat the tear blinded bis e'e

" I'll ne'er pay mail to Elliot again,

" And the fair Dodhead I'll never see !

* Grymlng—Sprinkling. —

THE SCOTTISH BORDF.K. 149

" My hounds may a' rin masterless, " My hawks may fly frae tree to tree, " My lord may grip my vassal lands, "• For there again maun I never be !""

He has turned him to the Tiviot side. E'en as fast as he could drie, Till he cam to the Coultart Cleuch, And there he shouted baith loud and hie.

Then up bespak him auld Jock Grieve " Whae's this that brings the fraye to me ?'

" It's I, Jamie Telfer o' the fair Dodhead, *' A harried man I trow I be.

" There's naething left in the fair Dodhead, " But a greeting wife and bairnies three,

" And sax poor ca's * stand in the sta', " A' routing loxid for their minnie.^-f-

" Alack a wae !" quo' auld Jock Gi'ieve, " Alack ! my heart is sair for thee ! " For I was married on the elder sister,

" And vou on the voungest of a' the three.

» Cn's— Calves. f M'nni'ir— Mother. —

150 MIXSTUEI.SV f)F

Then lie has ta'en out a bonny black, Was right weel fed wi' corn and hay. And he's set Jamie Telfer on his back. To the Catslockhill to tak the fray.

And whan he cam to the Catslockhill, He shouted loud and cried weel hie, Till out and spak him William's Wat " O whae's this brings the fraye to me ?"

" It's I, Jamie Telfer o' the fair Dodhead,

*' A harried man I think I be ! " The Captain of Bewcastle has driven my gear

" For God's sake rise, and succour me !''

" Alas for wae !" quo' William's Wat,

" Alack, for thee my heart is sair !

" I never cam by the fair Dodhead,

*' That ever I fand tiiy basket bare."

He's set his twa sons on coal-black steeds, Himsel' upon a freckled gray.

And they are on wi' Jamie Telfer, To Branksome Ha' to tak the frav> ;

THE SCOTTISH BORUEU. 151

And when they cam to Branksome Ha',

They shouted a' baith loud and hie, Till up and spak him auld Buccleuch, Said—" Whae's this brings the fraye to me ?"

" It*'s I, Jamie Telfer o' the fair Dodhead,

" And a harried man I think I be !

" There''s nought left in the fair Dodliead, " But a greeting; wife and bairnies three."

" Alack for wae !" quoth the gude auld lord,

" And ever my heart is wae for thee I "But fye gar cry on Willie, my son,

" And see that he come to me speedilie !

" Gar warn the water, braid and wide,

" Gar warn it sune and hastilie !

" They that winna ride for Telfer's kye,

" Let them never look in the face o'' me

Warn Wat o' Harden, and his sons, *' Wi' them will Borthwick Water ride Warn Gaudilands, and Allanhaugh, " And Gilmanscleugh, and Commonside. 152 rviIXSTRELSY OF

" Ride by the gate at Priesthaughswirc, " And warn the Curors o' the Lee ; " As ye cum down the Hermitage Slack,

" Warn doughty Wilhe o' Gorrinberrv

The Scots they rade, the Stots they ran,

Sae starkly and sac steadilie !

And aye the ower-word o'' the tln*ang

Was—" Rise for Branksomc readilie !"'

The gear was driven the Frostylee up, Frae the Frostylee unto the plain, ^\ han Willie has lookVl his men before,

And saw the kye right fast driving.

'' Whae drives thir kye ?" can Willie say, ?" " To make an outspcckle* o"" me " It's I, the Captain o' Bewcastle, Willie ; '' I winna layne my name for thee."

O will ye let Telfer's kye gae back,

" Or will ye do aught for regard o' me ?

Or, by the faith of my body," quo' Willie Scott, !" " I'se ware my dame's caufs skin on thee

« Outspecklc—Laughing-stock. —; ;

THE SCOTTISH BOKDEll. 153

I winna let the kye gae back,

" Neither for thy love, nor yet thy fear ; But I will drive Jamie Telfer's kye, " In spite of every Scot thaf s here.''

" Set on them, lads V quo' Willie than

" Fye, lads, set on them cruellie ! " For ere they win to the Ritterford, " Mony a toom* saddle there sail be !"

Then till't they gaed, wi' heart and hand ; The blows fell thick as bickering hail And mony a horse ran masterless. And mony a comely check was pale.

But Willie was stricken ower the head,

And thro' the knapscapf the sword has ganc ; And Harden grat for very rage, Whan Willie on the grund lay slane.

But he's tane aff his gude steel cap, And thrice he's wav'd it in the air The Dinlayl snaw was ne'er mair white Nor the lyart locks of Harden's hair.

• room—Empty. f A'na/;ifrt/)—Headpiece. * The Dinky— is a aiountain in Licldcsdale. ;

154 MINSTRELSY OF

" !" Revenge ! revenge auld Wat can cry

" Fye, lads, lay on them cruellie !

" AVe"*!! ne''er see Tiviotside again,

" Or Willie's death revenged sail be."

O mony a horse ran niasterless,

The splinterM lances flew on hie ; But or they wan to the Kershope ford. The Scots had gotten the victory.

John o' Brigham there was slane,

And John o' Barlow, as I hear say ; And thirty mae o' the Captain's men Lay bleeding on the grand that day,

The Captain was run thro' the thick of the thigh. And broken was his right leg bane If he had lived this hundred year, He had never been loved by woman again.

" !" Hae back thy kye the Captain said ;

" Dear kye, I trow, to some they be ! " For gin I suld live a hundred years, " There will ne'er fair lady smile on me." —

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 155

Then word is gane to the Captain's bride, Even in the bower where that she lay. That her lord was prisoner in enemy's land. Since into Tividale he had led the way.

I wad lourd * have had a winding-sheet,

" And helped to put it ower his head, Ere he had been disgraced by the Border Scot, " Whan he ower Liddel his men did lead !''

There was a wild gallant amang us a'.

His name was Watty wi' the Wudspurs, •}- Cried—" On for his house in Stanegirthside,

" If ony man will ride with us !""

When they came to the Stanegirthside,

They dang wi' trees, and burst the door

They loosed out a' the Captain's kye,

And set them forth our lads before.

There was an auld wyfe ayont the fire,

A wee bit o' the Captain's kin '' Whae dar loose out the Captain's kye, " Or answer to him and his men ?"

" Lourd— Rather. t JTwrfspM^s—Hotspur, or Madspur. !

156 MINSTRELSY OF

" It's I, Watty Wudspurs, loose the kye !

" I Avinna layiie my name frae thee

" And I will loose out the Captain's kye,

" In scorn of a' his men and he.''

Whan they cam to the fair Dodhead,

They were a wellcum sight to see I For instead of his ain ten milk kye, Jamie Telfer has gotten thirty and three.

And he has paid the rescue shot,

Baith wi' goud, and white monie ;

And at the burial o' Willie Scott,

I wat was moiiy a w ceping e'e. THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 157

NOTES ,

JAMIE TELFER OF THE FAIR DODHEAD.

It was high up in HardhaugJiswire.—P. 147. v. 1. Hardhaughswire is the pass from Liddesdale to the head of Tiviotdale.

// was laigh down in Borthwick water. —P. 147. v. 1. Borthwick water is a stream, which falls into the Tiviot three miles above Hawick.

But gin ye II gae to the fair Dodhead.—P. 147. v. 2. The Dodhead, in Selkirkshire, near Singlee, where there are still the vestiges of an old tower.

Now Jamie TelJ'er's heart was sair.—P. 147. v. 4. There is still a family of Telfers, residing near Langhohn, who pretend to derive their descent from the Telfers of the Dodhead.

Between the Dodhead and the Stobs's Ha'.— P. 148. v. 1. Stobs Hall, upon Slittcrick. Jamie Telfer made his first 158 MINSTRELSY OF

application here, because he seems to have paid the proprietor of the castle black-mail, or protection money.

Gae seek your succour at Branksome Ha.'—P. 1 48. v. 4. The ancient family-seat of the Lairds of Buccleuch^ near Hawick.

Till he cam to the Coulfart Cleuch.~P. 149. v. 2. The Coultiirt Cleuch is nearly opposite to Carlinrig, on the road between Hawick and IMosspaul.

Gar warn the water, braid and ivide.—P. lol. v. 4. The water, in the moimtainous districts of Scotland, is often used to express the banks of the river, which are the only in- habitable parts of the country. To raise the water, therefore, was to alarm those who hved along its side.

Warn Wat o' Harden, and his sons, Sccj—P. 151. v. 5. The estates, mentioned in this verse, belonged to families of the name of Scott, residing upon the waters of Borthwick and Teviot, near the castle of their Chief.

Ride by the gate at Priesihaughswire.—P. 152. v. 1. The pursuers seem to have taken the road through the hills of Liddesdalc, in order to collect forces, and intercept the fo- rayers at the passage of the Liddel, on their return to Bew- castle. The Ritterford and Kershope-fordj after-mentioned, are noted fords on the river Liddel.

The gear ivas d^-iven the Frostylee np. —P. 152. v. 3. The Frostylee is a brook, which joins the Teviot, near Moss- paul.

And Harden gratjor very rage. — P. 153. v. 4. Of this Border laird, commonly called Auld Wat of Harden, tradition has preserved many anecdotes. He was mamcd to THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 159

JVIary Scott, celebrated in song by the title of the Flower of Yarrow. By their marriage-contract, the father-in-law, Philip Scott of Dryhope, was to find Harden in horse meat, and man's meat, at his tower of Dryhope, for a year and a day ; but five barons pledge themselves, that, at the expiry of that period, the son-in-law should remove, without attempting to continue in possession by force ! A notary public signed for all the parties to the deed, none of whom could vsTrite their names. The original is still in the charter-room of the present IVIr Scott of Harden. By the Flower of Y arrow the Laird of Harden had

six sons ; five of whom survived him, and founded the families of Harden (now extinct,) Highchesters, (now represent- ing Harden,) Reaburn, Wool, and Synton. The sixth son was slain at a fray, in a hunting-match, by the Scots of Gihnans-

cleugh. His brothers flew to arras ; but the old laird secured them in the dungeon of his tower, hurried to Edinburgh, stated the crime, and obtained a gift of the lands of the offenders from the crown. He returned to Harden with equal speed, released his sons, and shewed them the charter. " To horse, !" " lads cried the savage warrior, " and let us take possession ! " the lands of Gilmanscleuch are well worth a dead son."

The property thus obtained continued in the family till the

beginning of last century, when it was sold, by John Scott of Harden, to Ann, Duchess of Buccleuch. A beautiful ballad, founded on this tradition, occurs in the Forest Minstrel, a collection of legendary poefry, by Mr James Hogg.

John o Brigham there was slain.—P. 154. v. 3. Perhaps one of the ancient family of Brougham, in Cumber- land. The editor has used some freedom with the original in the subsequent verse. The account of the Captain's disaster {teste lava vulnerata) is rather too naive for literal pubhcation.

Cried—" On for his house in Stanegirthside."—P. 155. v. 3. A house belonging to the Foresters, situated on the English side of the Liddel. 160 MINSTRELSY OF

An article in the list of attempts upon England, fouled by the Commissioners at Berwick, in the year 1587, may relate to the subject of the foregoing ballad.

October. 1582.

Thomas Musgrave, de- i Walter Scott, Laird 200 kine and "J puty of Bewcastle, and the •< of Buckluth, and his > oxen, 300 gait

' tenants, against v complices ; for and sheep.

Jntroduction to the History of Westmoreland and Cumberland, p. 31. THE SCOTTISH BORDER. l6l

THE RAID OF THE REIDSWIRE.

This poem is published from a copy in the Bannatyne MS. in the hand-writing of the Hon. Mr Carmichael, advocate. It first apjjeared in Alla7i Ramsay's Evergreen, but some liberties have been taken by him in transcribing it ; and, what is altogether unpardonable, the MS., which is itself rather inaccurate, has been interpolated to favour his readings ; of which there remain obvious marks. The skirmish of the Reidswire happened upon the

7th of June, 157.5, at one of the meetings, held by the wardens of the Marches, for arrangements necessary upon the Border. Sir John Cai-michael, ancestor of the present Earl of Hyndford, was the Scottish warden, and Sir John Forster held that office on the English Middle March. In the course of the day, which was employed as usual in redressing wrongs, a bill, or in- dictment, at the instance of a Scottish complainer, was fouled (i. e. found a true bill ) against one Farnstein, a notorious English freebooter. Forster alleged that he —

162 MINSTRELSY OF

had fled from justice : Carmichael, considering this as a pretext to avoid making compensation for the felony, bade him " play fair !" to which the haughty English warden retorted, by some injurious expressions respecting Carmichael's family, and gave other open signs of resentment. His retinue, chiefly men of Redesdale and Tynedale, the most ferocious of the English Borderers, glad of any pretext for a quarrel, discharged a flight of arrows among the Scots. A warm conflict ensued, in Avhich, Carmichael being beat down and made prisoner,

success seemed at first to incline to the English side, till the Tynedale men, throwing themselves too greedily

upon the plunder, fell into disorder ; and a body of Jed-

burgh citizens arriving at that instant, the skirmish terminated in a complete victory on the part of the Scots, who took prisoners, the English warden, James Ogle, Cuthbert CoUingwood, Francis Russell, son to the Earl of Bedford, and son-in-law to Forster, some of the Fenwicks, and several other Border chiefs. They were sent to the Earl of Morton, then regent, who detained

them at Dalkeith for some days, till the heat of their

resentment was abated ; which prudent precaution prevented a war betwixt the two kingdoms. He then dis-

missed them with great expressions of regard ; and, to

satisfy Queen Elizabeth,* sent Carmichael to York,

* Her ambassador at Edinburgh refused to lie in a bed of state which had been provided for him, till this " odious fact" had been inquired into Mukdin's State Papers, vol. II. p. 282. THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 163 whence he was soon after honourably dismissed. The field of battle, called the Reidswire, is a part of the Car- ter Mountain, about ten miles from Jedburgh,—See, for these particulars, Godscroft, Spottiswoode, and Johnstone's Hisiory. The editor has adopted the modern spelling of the word Reidswire, to prevent the mistake in pronouncia- tion which might be occasioned by the use of the Scot- tish qu for w. The MS. reads Reidsquair. Sivair, or

Swire, signifies the descent of a hill ; and the epithet

Red is derived from the colour of the heath, or, perhaps, from the Reid-water, which rises at no gi*eat distance. ! ;

164 MINSTREI-SY OF

THE RAID OF THE REIDSWIRE.

The seventh of July, the suith to say,

At the Reidswire the tryst was set

Our wardens they affix'd the day, And, as they promised, so they met.

Ala? ! that day 111 ne^er forgett Was sure sae feard, and then sae faine-

They came theare justice for to gett. Will never green * to come again.

Carmichael was our warden then,

He caused the country to conveen ; And the Laird's Wat, that worthie man,

Brought in that simame weil beseen : -f*

• Green—Long.

•f Weil beseen—Well appointed. The word occurs in Morir Arthur: •' And when Sir Percival saw this, he hied them thither. — ;

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. l65

The Armestranges, that aye hae been A hardie house, but not a hail, The Elliots"' honours to maintaine.

Brought down the lave o' Liddesdale.

Then Tividale came to wi' speid ; The Sheriffe brought the Douglas down, Wi' Cranstane, Gladstain, good at need, Baith Rewle water, and Hawick town. Beanjeddart bauldly made him boun,

Wi" a' the Trumbills, stronge and stout The Rutherfoords, with grit renown. Convoyed the town of Jedbrugh out.

Of other clans I cannot tell, Because our warning was not wide

Be this our folks hae taen the fell, And planted down pallionesf there to bide. We looked down the other side. And saw come breasting ower the brae, Wi' Sir John Forster for their guyde,

Full fifteen hundred men and mae.

and found the ship covered with silke, more blacker than any beare ; and therein was a gentlewoman, of great beautie, and she was richly heseeue, that none might be better." • Lave—Remainder. f PalUoHes—Tents. ——

jG minstrelsy of

It grieved him sair that day, I trow, Wi' Sir George Hearoune of Schipsydeliouse Because we were not men enow, They counted us not worth a louse. Sir George was gentle, meek, and douse,

But he was hall and het as fire ;

And yet, for all his cracking crouse,* He rewd the raid o' the Reidswire.

Ta deal with proud men is but pain ; For either must ye fight or flee.

Or else no answer make again.

But play the best and let them be. It was na wonder he was hie. Had Tindaill, Reedsdaill, at his hand, Wi' Cukdaill, Gladsdaill on the lee, And Hebsrime, and Northumberland.

Yett was our meeting meek eneugh.

Begun wi'' merriment and mowes. And at the brae, aboon the heugh.

The dark sat down to call the rowes.-f* And some for kyne, and some for ewes, Caird in of Dandrie, Hob, and Jock We saw, come marching ower the knows. Five hundred Fennicks in a flock,

Cracking ciouxr—Talking big. + BoKe.i—'Ro\h. : —; ;

THE SCOTTISH BORDER 16?

With jack and speii-, and bows all bent, And warlike weapons at their will Although we were na well content.

Yet, by my troth, we fear'd no ill.

Some gaed to drink, and some stude still. And some to cards and dice them sped

Till on ane Farnstein they fyled a bill,

And he was fugitive and fled.

Carmichael bade them speik out plainlie,

And cloke no cause for ill nor good ; The other, answering him as vainlie,

Began to reckon kin and blood :

He raise, and raxed* him where he stood, And bade him match him with his marrows Then Tindaill heard them reasun rude,

And they loot off" a flight of arrows.

Then was there nought but bow and spen-,

And every man puU'd out a brand ; " A Schaftan and a Ftnwick" thare : ^ Gude Symington was slain frae hand. The Scotsmen cried on other to stand, Frae time they saw John Robson slain

What should they cry ? the King's command Could cause no cowards turn again.

" Raxed ^Jni—Stretched himself up. ; ! : ——

168 MINSTKELSY OF

Up rose the laird to red the cumber,* Which would not be for all his boast ; What could we doe with sic a number ? Fyve thousand men into a host. Then Henry Purdie proved his cost,f And very nai'rowlie had mischiefd him, And there we had our warden lost, Wert not the grit God he relieved him.

Another throw the breiks him bair,

Whill flatlies to the ground he fell

Than thought I weel we had lost him there.

Into my stomack it struck a knell Yet up he raise, the treuth to tell ye, And laid about him dints full dour His horsemen they raid sturdily. And stude about him in the stoure.

Then raisej the slogan with ane shout !" " Fy, Tindaill, to it ! Jedbrugh's here

I trow he was not half sae stout,

But§ anis his stomach was asteir.

" Bed the cumber—Quell the tumult. + •f Cos<—Signifies loss or risk. Raise-—Rose. § But, ^c—Till once his anger was set up. ; ;

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. l69

With gun and genzie,* bow and spier,

Men might see mony a cracked crown I But up amang the merchant geir, They were as busy as we were down.

The swallow tail frae tackles flew,

Five hundreth flain-f- into a flight, But we had pestelets enew, And shot among them as we might. With help of God the game gade right,

Frae time the foremost of them fell Then ower the know without goodnight,

They ran with mony a shout and yell.

But after they had turned backs,

Yet Tindaill men they turn''d again And had not been the merchant packs.

There had been mae of Scotland slain.

But, Jesu ! if the folks were fain

To put the bussing on their thies ;

And so they fled, wi' a' their main, Down ower the brae, like clogged bees.

* Genzie—Engine of war

; -f- Flam—Arrows hitherto absurdly printed slain. ; ; ;

170 MINSTllELSY OF

Sir Francis Russel ta'en was there, And hurt, as we hear men rehearse Proud Wallinton was wounded sair,

Albeit he be a Fennick fierce.

But if ye wald a souldier search,

Among them a"" were ta''en that night, Was nane sae wordie to put in verse, As Collingwood, that courteous knight.

Young Henry Schafton, he is hurt

A souldier shot him wi' a bow : Scotland has cause to mak great sturt. For laming of the Laird of Mow. The Laird's Wat did weel, indeed His friends stood stoutlie by himseP,

With little Gladstain, gude in need,

For Gretein kend na gude be HI.

The SheriiFe wanted not gude will, Howbeit he might not fight so fast Beanjeddart, Hundlie, and Hunthill,

Three, on they laid weel at the last. Except the horsemen of the guard,

If I could put men to availe.

None stoutlier stood out for their laird, Nor did the lads of Liddisdail. ; ;

THE SCOTTISH BOKDER. 171

' But little harness had we there ; But auld Badreule had on a jack, And did right weel, I you declare,

With all his Trumbills at his back.

Gude Edderstane was not to lack,

Nor Kirktoun, Newton, noble men ! Thirs* all the specials I of speake,

By-f- others that I could not ken.

Who did invent that day of play, We need not fear to find him soon

For Sir John Forster, I dare well say, Made us this noisome afternoon.

Not that I speak preceislie out,

That he supposed it would be perril

But pride, and breaking out of feuid,

Garr'd Tindaill lads begin the quarrel.

* Thirs—1'hese are. f By—Besides. —

172 MINSTRELSY OT

NOTES

THE RAID OF THE REIDSWIRE.

Carmichael was our luarden then. —P. 164. v. 2. Sir John Carmichael was a favourite of the regent Morton, by whom he was appointed warden of the Middle ^Marches, in preference to the Border Chieftains. With the like pohcy, the regent married Archibald Carmichael, the -warden's brother, to the heiress of Etlrom, in the Merse, much contrary to the inclination of the lady and her friends. In like manner, he compelled another heiress, Jane Sleigh, of Cumlege, to marry Ar- chibald, brother to Auchinleck of Auchinleck, one of his dependants. By such ai-bitrary practices, ]Morton meant to strengthen his authority on the Borders ; instead of which, he hastened his fall, by giving disgust to his kinsman the Earl of Angus, and his other friends, who had been established in the country for ages. Godscroft, vol. II. pp. 238, 246. Sir John Carmichael, the warden, was murdered 16th June, 1600, by a party of Borderers, at a place called Raesknows, near Lochmaben, whither he was going to hold a court of justice. Two of the ringleaders in the slaughter, Thomas Armstrong, called Ringnn's Tnm, and Adam Scott, called the Peckct, were tried at Edinburgh, at the instance of Carmichael of Edrom.

They were condemned to have their right hands struck off. — —

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 173

thereafter to be hanged, and their bodies gibbetted on the

Borough Moor ; which sentence was executed 14th Novem- ber, 1601. "This Pecket, (saith Birrel in his Diary,') was " ane of the most notalrie thiefFes that ever raid ;" he calls his name Steill, which appears, from the record, to be a mistake. Four years afterwards, an Armstrong, called Sandy of Roivanburn, and several others of that tribe, were executed for this and other excesses. Books of Adjournal of these dates.

And the Laird's Wat, that ivorthie 7nan.—P. 164. v. 2. The Chief who led out the sirname of Scott upon this occasion, was (saith Satchells) Walter Scottof Ancrum, a natural son of Walter of Buccleuch. The Laird of Buccleuch was then a minor. The ballad seems to have been popular in Satchells' days, for he quotes it literally. He must, however, have been mistaken in this particular ; for the flimily of Scott of Ancrum, in all our books of genealogy, deduce their descent from the

Scotts of Balwearie, in Fife, whom they represent. The first of this family, settled in lloxliurghshire, is stated in Douglas' Baronage to have been Patrick Scott, who purchased the lands of Ancrum in the reign of James VI. He therefore could not be the Laird's Wat of the ballad ; indeed, from the list of Border families in 1597, Kerr appears to have been proprietor of Ancrum at the date of the ballad. It is plainly written in the MS. the Laird's Wat, i. ,e. the Laird's son Wat ; notwithstanding which, it has always hitherto been printed the Laird Wat. If Douglas be accurate in his genealogy, the person meant must be the young Laird of Buccleuch, afterwards distinguished for his surprise of Carlisle Castle.—See Kinmont Willie. I am the more confirmed in this opinion, because Kerr of Ancrum was at this time a fugitive, for slaying one of the Rutherfords, and the tower of Ancrum given in keeping to the TurnbuUs, his hereditary enemies. His mother, however, a daughter of Home of Wedderburn, contrived to turn out the Turnbulls, and possess herself of the place by surprise. GoDSCROFT, vol. II, p. 250. — —

174 MINSTRELSY OF

The Armestranges that aye hue been.—P. 165. v. 1. This clan are here mentioned as not being hail, or whole, because they were outlawed or broken men. Indeed, many of them had become Englishmen, as the phrase then went. Ac- cordingly, we find, from Patten, that forty of them, under the Laird of Mangertoun, joined Somerset, upon his expedition into Scotland. Patten, in Dali/eU'.t Fragments, p. 1. There was an old aUiance betwixt the Elliots and Armstrongs, here alluded to. For the enterprizes of the Armstrongs, against their native country, when under Enghsh assurance, see Mur-

din's State Pape?-s, vol. I. p. 43. From which it appears, that, by command of Sir Ralph Evers, this clan ravaged almost the whole West Border of Scotland.

The Sheriffe brought the Douglas down.—P. 165. v. y. Douglas of Cavers, hereditary Sheriff of Teviotdale, descended from Black Arcliibald, Avho carried the standard of his father, the Earl of Douglas, at the battle of Otterbourne. See the Ballad of that name.

Wi' Cranstane, Gladstane, good at need.—P. 165. v. 2.

Cranstoun of that ilk, ancestor to Lord Cranstoun ; and Gladstain of Gladstains.

Wi' a' the IVumbilU; strange and stout ; The Rutherfourds with grit renown.—P. 165. v. 2. These were ancient and powerful Border clans, residing chiefly upon the river Jed. Hence, they naturally convoyed the town of Jedburgh out. Although notorious freebooters, they were specially patronized by Morton, who, by their means, endeavoured to counterpoise the power of Buccleuch and Ferniherst, during the civil wars attached to the Queen's faction.

The following fragment of an old ballad is quoted in a letter from an aged gentleman of this name, residing at New- York,

to a friend in Scotland : ; ;

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 175

** Bauld Rutherfurd, lie was fow stout, " Wi' a' his nine sons him round about " He led the town o' Jedburgh out, " AH bravely fought that day."

Wi' Sir John Fosterfor their giiyde.—P. 165. v. 3. Sir John Foster^ or, more properly, Forrester, of Balm- brough Abbey, warden of the Middle JNIarches in 1561, was deputy-governor of Berwick, and governor of Balmbrough

Castle. He made a great figure on the Borders, and is said, on his monument at Balraborough church, to have possessed the office of warden of the Mid Marches for thirty-seven years indeed, if we can trust his successor, Carey, he retained the situation until he became rather unfit for its active duties. His family ended in the unfortunate Thomas Foster, one of the generals of the Northumbrian insurgents in 1715 ; and the estate, being forfeited, was purchased by his uncle. Lord Crewe, and devised for the support of his magnificent charity.

Wi' Sir George Hearoune of Schipsydehouse.—P. 166. v. 1. George Heron Miles of Chipchase castle, probably the same who was slain at the Reidswair, was Sheriff of Northumber- land, 13th Elizabeth.

Had TindaiU, Reedsdaill at his hand.—T. 166. v. 2. These are districts, or dales, on the English Border,

And Hebsrime.—P. J 66. v. 2. Mr Ellis suggests, with great probability, that this is a mistake, not for Hebburne, as the editor stated in an earlier edi-

tion, but for Hexham, which, with its territory, formed a coun-

ty independent of Northumberland, with which it is here ranked.

Five hundred Fennicks in a flock.—P. 166. v. 3.

The Fenwicks ; a powerful and numerous Northumberland clan.—The original seat of this ancient family was at Fen-? — —

176 ailNSTREI-SY OF

wick-tower, long since ruinous ; but, from the time of Henry IV., their principal mansion was Wallington. Sir John Fen- wick, attainted and executed for treason in the reign of Wil- liam III., represented the chieftain of this clan.

Then raise the slogan with ane shout.—P. 168. v. 3. The gathering word, peculiar to a certain name, or set of people, was termed slogan or shtghom, and was always repeated at an onset, as well as on many other occasions, as appears from the following passage of an old author, whom this custom seems to have offended—for he complains, " That whereas alweys, both in al tounes of war, and in al " campes of armies, quietnes and stilnes without nois is prin-

" cipally in the night, after the watch is set, observed (I need " not reason why.) Yet, our northern prikkers, the Border-

" ers, notwithstanding, with great enormitie, (as thought me) " and not unlyke (to be playn) unto a masterless hounde " houyling in a hie way, when he hath lost him he wayted " upon, sum hoopyng, sum whistelyng, and most with crying,

" a Berwykf ! a Berwyke ! a Fenwyke ! a Fenwyke ! a Bul-

" mer ! a Bulmer ! or so ootherwise as theyr captein's names " -wear, never linnde those troublous and daungerous noyses

" all the night long. They sayd they did it to fynd out their " captein and fellowes ; but if the soldi ours of our oother " countries and sheres had used the same maner, in that case " we shoold have oftymes had the state of our campe more " lyke the outrage of a dissolute huntyng, than the quiet of " a wel ordred army." Patten's Account of Somerset's Ex- pedition, p. 76. Apud Daivell's Fragments. Honest Patten proceeds, with great prolixity, to prove, that this was a custom more honoured in the breach than in the ob- " servance ; and, like Fluellen, declares, that such idle pribble " prabbles were contrary to all the good customs and disciplines " of war." Nevertheless, the custom of crying the slogan, or

ensenzie, is often alluded to in all our ancient histories and poems. It was usually the name of the clan, or place of rendezvous, or leader. In 1335, the English, led by Thomas of THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 177

Rosslyne, and William Moubray, assaulted Aberdeen. The former was mortally wounded in the onset ; and, at his followers were pressing forward, shouting Rosslyne ! Rosslyne !

" Cry Moubrai)," said the expiring chieftain ; " Rosslyne is " gone !" The Highland clans had also their appropriate slogans. The IVIacdonalds cried Frich, (heather ;) the Mac- phersons, Craig-Ubh ; the Grants, Craig-Elachie ; and the Macfarlanes, Loch-Shy.

The swallow taillfrae tacklesJlew.—P. 169. v. 2. The Scots, on this occasion, seem to have had chiefly fire- arms ; the English retaining still their partiality for their ancient weapon, the long-bow. It also appears, by a letter from the Duke of Norfolk to Cecil, that the English Borderers were unskilful in fire-arms, or, as he says, " our countrymen be not " so commyng with shots as I woolde wishe."—See Mukden's State Papers, vol. I. p. 319.

And had not been the merchant packs.—P. 169. v. 3. The ballad-maker here ascribes the \actory to the real cause; for the English Borderers, dispersing to plunder the merchan- dise, gave the opposite party time to recover from their surprise. It seems to have been usual for travelling merchants to attend Border meetings, although one would have thought the kind of company, usually assembled there, might have deterred them.

Sir Francis Riissel ta'en was there.—P. 170. v. 1. This gentleman was son to the Earl of Bedford, and warden of the East Marches. He was, at this time, chamberlain of Berwick. He was afterwards killed in a fray of a similar nature, at a Border meeting between the same Sir John For- ster (father-in-law to Russell,) and Thomas Kerr of Fairni- hurst, A. D. 1.585.

Frond Wallinton was wounded sair.—P. 170. v. 1. Fen wick ofWallington, a powerful Northumbrian chief 178 MINSTRELSY OF

As CollingWQod, that courteous knight. —P. 170. v. 1. Sir Cuthbert CoUingwood of Esslington, Sheriff of Nor- thumberland, the 10th and 20th of Elizabeth. The late gallant Admiral CoUing^vood was of this family. Besides these gentlemen, James Ogle, and many other Nor- thumbrians of note, were made prisoners. Sir George Heron, of Chipchase and Ford, was slain, to the great regret of both parties, being a man highly esteemed by the Scots, as well as the English. When the prisoners were brought to Morton, at Dalkeith, and, among other presents, received from him some Scottish falcons, one of his train observed, that the Eng- lish were nobly treated, since they got live hawks for dead herons.—Godscroft.

young Henri/ Schafton.—P. 170. v. 2. The name of this gentleman does not appear in the MS. in the Advocates' Library, but is restored from a copy in single sheet, printed early in the last century. The Shaftoes are an ancient family settled at Bavington, in

Northumberland, since the time of Edward L ; of which Sir

Cuthbert Shaftoe, Sheriff' of Northumberland in 179.5, is the present representative.

For hiiming of the Laird of Mow — P. 170. v. 2. An ancient family on the Borders. The lands of Mowe are situated upon the river Bowmont, in Roxburghshire. The

family is now represented by William ^lolle, Esq. of Mains, who has restored the ancient spelling of the name. The Laird of ]\Iowe, here mentioned, was the only gentleman of note killed in the skirmish on the Scottish side.

For Gretein kend na gudc hr ill. — P. 1 70. v. 2. Graden, a family of Kerrs.

Beanjeddarf, Hvnilie, and Hunfhi/l.—P. 170. v. 3. Douglas of Beanjeddart, an ancient branch of the house of 10 —

THE SCOTTISH BORDEll. 179

Cavers, possessing property near the junction of the Jed and Teviot. Hundlie.—Rutherford of Hundlie, or Hundalee, situated on the Jed above Jedburgh. Hunthill.—The old tower of Hunthill was situated about a mile above Jedburgh. It was the patrimony of an ancient family of Rutherfords. I suppose the person, here meant, to be the same who is renowned in tradition by the name of the Cock of Hunthill. His sons were executed for ]March-treason, or Border-theft, along with the Lairds of Corbet, Greenhead, and Overton, A. D. 1588. Johnstone's History, p. 129.

But auld Badrevle had on a jack—P. 171. v. 1. Sir Andrew TurnbuU of Bedrule, upon Rule Water. This old laird was so notorious a thief, that the principal gentlemen of the clans of Hume and Kerr refused to sign a bond of alliance, to which he, with the TurnbuUs and Rutherfords, was a party ; alleging that their proposed allies had stolen Hume of Wedderburn's cattle. The authority of Morton, however, compelled them to digest the affront. The debate

(and a curious one it is) may be seen at length in Godscroft, vol. I. p. 221. The Rutherfords became more lawless after having been deprived of the countenance of the court, for slaying the nephew of Forman, Archbishop of St Andrews, who had attempted to carry off the heiress of Rutherford. This lady was afterwards married to James Stuart of Traquair, son to James, Earl of Buchan, according to a papal bull, dated 9th November 1504. By this lady a great estate in Tiviot- dale fell to the family of Traquair, which was sold by James, Earl of Traquair, Lord-high-treasurer of Scotland, in consequence of the pecuniary difficulties to which he was reduced, by his loyal exertions in favour of Charles I.

Gude Edej'stane luas not to lack.—P. 171. v. 1.

An ancient family of Rutherfords ; I believe, indeed, the most ancient now extant. The family is represented by John

VOL. I. M 180 MINSTRELSY OF

Rutherford, Esq. of Edgerstane. His seat is about three miles distant from the field of battle.

Nor Kirktown, Newtoun, noble men!—P. 171. v. 1. The parish of Kirktoun belonged, I believe, about this time, to a branch of the Cavers family ; but Kirkton of Stewartfield is mentioned in the list of Border clans in 1597.

Newton.—Thi^ is probably Grinyslaw of Little Newton, mentioned in the said roll of Border clans.

In addition to what has been said of the ferocity of the Reedsdale and Tynedale men, may be noticed a bye-law of the incorporated Merchant-adventurers of Newcastle, in 1564., which, alledging e\'il repute of these districts for thefts and felonies, enacts that no apprentices shall be taken " proceeding " from such leude and wicked progenitors." This law, though in desuetude, subsisted until 1771. THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 181

KINMONT WILLIE.

In the following rude strains, our forefathers commemorated one of the last and most gallant achievements performed upon the Border. The editor, in place of the extract from Bishop Spottiswood's H istory ofthe Church, is enabled, from a manuscript of the period, the property of Mr Campbell of Shawfield, to give a more minute detaU of this celebrated exploit. The MS. contains many curiovis articles relating to the Highlands and Borders, arranged in a miscellaneous order. They appear to have been a collection made for the purpose of assisting Archbishop Spottiswood in compiling his work.

Relation of the Maner of surprizeing of the Castell of Cairlell by the Lord of Buccleugh, in the later End of Q. Elizabeth's Reigne. {Anno 1596.) Thair was for the tyme warden of the West Marches of England, for the Queene, the Lord Scroope; and for the King, the Lord of Buccleugh had the charge of Liddis- 182 MINSTRELSY OF

daill ; the deputies of these two officers having met at a day at trewis, as the custome was (when ether the wardens, in regard ofthair princes service^ or thair ain private distractionnes, could not meitt thameselffis, or the mat- teris to be redressit was hot ordinarie) the place of thair meiting was at the Dayholme of Kershoup, quhaire a burne divydis England from Scotland, and Liddisdaill from Bewcastle. Thair met for the Lord of Buccleugh,

Robert Scot of Hanyng ; and for the Lord Scroope, Mr Salkeld, a gentleman of that west wardanrie that was his deputie for the tyrae. Thair was rautuall truce taken, and intimation be sound of trumpett, and proclamation in thair majesties names, to the trouppes on both sydes, befoir thair meiting, as the custome was: wherefore the meitings war called dayes of trewis, seing thairthrow pairties on baithe sydes, that otherwise were under deidlie feid and quarrell, did usuallie, in peace and assurance, meit and doe thair busines, one besyde another, and con- versed mutuallie and in assurance with such as they had occasion withall ; upon the truce taken, the officers or deputies keipt thair meitting, maid mutuall redress of such wrongs as had occurred before that tyme, and sunderit in verie good termes, ether partie returning homewards. Be the way it is to be remembred, that the te- nor of such trewis, as usuallie were taken betuixt the wardaines or thair deputies in the princes names, buir.

That upon paine of death, presently to be executed, all persones whatsoever that came to these meitings, sould THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 183

be saife fra any proceiding or present occasioun from the tyme of melting of the Avardens or thair deputies till the nixt day at the sun rysing ; within such space it wes presupposed that every persone that came thair might be returned to thair houses ; for other wayes, where at theifF meltings iher war usuallie manie pairties that war under feid and quarrall ane with another, the strongest syde might have taken advantage of the weakness of the other if the grudge had beine betuixt the wardanes ; or the strongest of the particular pairties of ether syde might, seing the weiknes of the other there, in his returne homewards towards his hous, fra the great troupe had sunderit, upon any intelligence have taken the occasioun of revenge by putting himselfe in his way. Now this treuce being thus wayes parted, and the busines done by tiie deputies that they met for, there was one called Williame Armstrong of Kynlnmonth, Scot- tisman and a Borderer, in companie with the Scottish deputie, whom against some of the English had qua-

rell, as was alledgeit, who, being sunderit from that deputie, and ryding homewards, his way coming downLid-

disdaill, the which was at that pairt dyvidit from Eng-

land by a river easilie passable called Liddell, and the Inglish deputie balding his way down the Inglish syde, and within a myle of the utheris way, those who had the quarrell against hym (as afterwards the deputie of Eng- land for his excuse did pretend) seing him ryding on his ways bot with three or four in companie, and lyming IS-l MINSTllELSY OF

for na harme, as that day fell, they brake a chace of more then 200 men out of the English trayne, chases the said Wm. of Kininmonth more than 3 or 4 myles, comes to him^ and takes him prisoner, brings him back to the deputie, thinking to doe good service by the seizing of such an ofFendar, causit brek the truce, himself caried him away with him prisoner to the castell of Cairlell. Whereupon, and seing the samynewas done to the plaine breache of the trewes, the Lord of Buccleugh as the kingis officer, did wreat unto Mr Salkeld, the deputie of England, immediatlie in absence of the Lord Scroop, for the redress thairof. Mr Salkeld by his anser did ex- cuise himselfe, and refer the maitter to the Lord Scroop, warden, who for the tyme was at a hous of his owin in the countrey. The Lord Scroop thereupon was written unto in the samyne sence by the Lord of Buccleugh, to wit, for the setting the prisoner at libertie without condition or bond, seing he was unlawfullie taken, and consequentlie to the tuitch of the king. It was ansered, that he could do nothing ther aneut, seing it was so hap- ned, and be reason that the prisoner was such a male- factor, without the privitie of the Quene and counsall of England : so as his anser tending to the delay of the matter, the Lord Buccleugh being loath to informe the Kinge of the maitter least the samyn might have bred some mistaking betueen the princes, he made tryell for Mr Robert Bowis, then resident ambassador for the

Queen in Scotland ; who, upon his desire and informa- THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 185

tioun, wrote furiouslie unto the Lord Scroope for the redress of the maitter, and that the maitter sould come to

no farther hearing. Nothing was done nor anserit till a purpose nevertheless, nether upon the Kingis his mas-

ters awin instance towards the warden, by the ambas-

sador of England first, and afterwards to the Queen of

England by his Majesties selfe. Whereupon the Lord

of Buccleugh, being the Kings officer, and fynding his Majesties honour tuitched so apparantlie to the world, he did resolve himselfe to seik the relief of the prisoner

by the meanes whereby it was performeit, and that with such foirsight and regaird as could be, that through any rigorous circumstance of the actioun in regaird of the place quhairin he was keipt, the samyne sould breid no greater jarr betuixt the princes then mearlie that which was to grow from the simple relief of a prisoner unlawfuUie taken. And for such purpose the Lord of

Buccleugh, upon intelligence that the castle of Cairleill, where the prisoner was keept, was surpriseable, and of the meanes by sending some persons of trust to view a postern gaitt, and to measure the height of the wall very closely, he did immediately draw togither 200 horse, assured the place of meeting ane hour before sunset at the toure of Mortune, the which is 10 myles from Cair- leill, and upon the water of Sark, in the Debateable Land, quhair he had preparatioun of ledders for scaleing the castle wall, and other instruments of iron for breking

through the wall and foirceing of gaites, if neid had ;

186 MINSTllELSY OF

belne. The troupe being assembled at the place, he marcheth forwards, and entreth English ground within six miles of Cairleill, and passeth the water of Esk, quhair the Grahames did inhabite, at the falling of the night. Fra he entred English ground, the order was thus : ther was sent some few horsemen before, all the way, to discover, and they were seconded by 40 or 50 horse in case of any encounter ; there was nixt them the ledders carrying two and two upon a horse, and horses carying the other instruments mentionate befoir and, last of all, himselfe with the reste of the troupe. He marched on in this order, and passeth the water of Eden about two hours before day, at the Stoniebank beneath Cairleill brig, the water being at the tyme, through raines that had fallen, weill thick ; he comes to the Sacray, a plaine place under the toune and castell, and halts upon the syde of a litle water or burne that they call Caday. There he makes about 80 men to light from their horses, took the ledders to be set to the wall, and assayes, whilst the sentinels warns the top of the wall above thame, looking over, and crying and speaking ane to another ; but that it hapened to fall to be very dark in the hindnight, and a litle mistie. The ledders proved too short thro' the en-or of thame quha had bene sent to measure the wall, and could not reach the top of the wall ; and then order was given to make use of the other instruments that were caried, for opening the wall a litle hard by the posterne, the which being set in the THE SCOTTISH BORDEll. 187

way, the Lord of Buccleugh seing the matter was like-

lie to succeed well, and that no discoverie was, did re-

tier himselfe for the suretie of thame that he had set on

the castell against the forceing of the toun, and so pat himselfe and the horsemen betwixt the posterne of the

castell and the nixt port of the toune, upon the plains

field, to assure the retreat of his awne from the castell againe, wha were sent also in such competent number as was knowne to be able to master thame that was with-

out, upon their entrie ; quha did thereupon also corre-

spond upon the first sound of the trumpet, with a cry and noyse, the more to confirme his awne that ware

gone upon the castell, and to terrific both castell and toune by ane imaginatioun of a greater force. They

enter the castell, the first of thame single, by the over- ture that was made, and than brake oppen immediatlie

the posterne with such instruments as was fitt to mak passage to the greater number. Thair did occurr to

theme at their firste entrie, allannerlie the watchmen or

sentinells, and some others after upon the alarm, with the weapons they had. Bot after they were put back and scattered, the rest that was within doors heiring the noyse of the trumpet within, and that the castell was entred, and the noyse of others without, both the Lord Scroope himselfe and his deputie Salkeld being thair with the garrisone and his awin retinew, did keip thamselffis close. The prisoner was taken out of the hous quhair he was keiped, the which was knowne to ;

188 MINSTRELSY OF

the Lord of Buccleugh, his sending a woman upon pre-

text the day befoir to visite the prisoner, quha report-

ing quhat place he was keiped in, ther lacked not per-

sones enough thaire that knew all the rewmes thaire, and so went directlie after the rancounter with the watchmen, and sum uther with them that came to the alarum

to the place, and brought him furth, and so be the pos-

teme gat away ; some other prisoners were brought out that were taken in the rancounter, the which were pre-

sentlie returned into the castell againe by the Lord of Buccleugh, and any uther spoylle or butting also hin-

derit, that not so much as any uther doore that was opin

within the castell was entered but that quhair the pri-

soner was, the which was broken up ; nor uther that

was shut so much as knocked at, tho' they that enterit might have taken prisoners the warden and all the prisoners that was there, and made prey of the haill guids,

seing they war maisters of the castell ; such was the re- guard of the Lord of Buccleughe, and the strict order that he gave, being present himselfe, that he wald not have any circumstance to fall out in that actioun, in sua

farr as it could have bene eschewed, that could have

given the least cause of offence either to the King his master or to the late Queen. By which bringing furth of the prisoner the toun and castell was in a great fear and alarum, and was a putting of thameselffis in armes drums war beatting, belles ringing, and bealles put on the top of the castell to warne the countrie. The day —

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 189

was brokkin, and so the interpry se having so weill suc- ceidit, the Lord of Buccleugh, after that these Qthat]

went upon the caste 11, and the prisoner, were reteired

and horsed, marched close by the Sarkage againe to the

river at the Staniebank ; where, upon the alarum in the castell and toune, some were assembled in the farre syde

in the passage ; an d so having to that tyme reteired

himselfe close and without any noyse from the castell,

he causit sound up his trumpet befoir he tuik the river,

it being both mistie and dark, though the day was bro-

kin, to the end both to encourage his owne, and to let thame that war abyding him upon the passage know that he luikit for and was to receave any charge that

they sould offer him ; quhairupon they made choyse to luik to him and give him way, and not adventure upon

so doubtfull ane event with him, wha behoved to reteire himhomewards, and not living thaire, if he could choyse after such ane useage of his hoist. So having passed

the river, the day began to grow light, and he did re-

teire hintiselfe in order throw the Grahames of Esk and Levin, and came bak to Scottis ground at about two hours after sunrysing', and so homewards." The consequences of the enterprize are thus mentioned by Spottiswoode :

" This fell out the 13th of April, 1596. The Queen " of England, having notice sent her of what was done,

" stormed not a little. One of her chief castles surpri- " sed, a prisoner taken forth of the hands of the war- 9 —

190 MINSTRELSY OF

'' den, and carried away, so far within England, she " esteemed a great affront. The lieger, Mr Bowes, in " a frequent convention kept at Edinburgh, the 22d of " May, did, as he was charged, in a long oration, ag-

" gravate the heinousness of the fact, concluding that " peace could not longer continuebetwixt thetworealms, " unless Bacleuch were delivered in England, to be pu- " nished at the Queen's pleasure. Bacleuch compear-

" ing, and charged with the fact, made answer, ' That

" he went not into England with intention to assault " any of the Queen's houses, or to do wrong to any of " her subjects, but only to relieve a subject of Scotland

" unlawfully taken, and more unlawfully detained; that, " in the time of a general assurance, in a day of truce,

" he was taken prisoner against all order, neither did

" he attempt his relief till redress was refused ; and that " he had carried the business in such a moderate nian-

" ner, as no hostility was committed, nor the least wrong " offered to any within the castle ; yet was he content, " according to the ancient treaties observed betwixt the " two realms, when as mutual injuries were alleged, to

" be tried by the commissioners that it should please " their Majesties to appoint, and submit himself to that " which they should decern.'—The convention, esteem- " ing the answer reasonable, did acquaint the ambassa- " dor therewith, and offered to send commissioners to

" the Borders, with all diligence, to treat with such as " the Queen should be pleased to appoint for her part^ — —

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 191

" But she, not satisfied with the answer, refused to

" appoint any commissioners ; whereupon the council " of England did renew the complaint in July thereaf-

" ter ; and the business being of new agitated, it was " resolved of as before, and that the same should be re- " mitted to the trial of commissioners : the King pro-

" testing, ' that he might, with great reason, ci-ave the " delivery of Lord Scroope, for the inju/y committed

" by his deputy, it being less favourable to take a pri-

" relieve that is soner, than him unlawfully taken ; yet, " for the continuing of peace, he would forbear to do

" it, and omit nothing, on his part, that could be desi- " red, either in equity, or by the laws of friendship.' " The Borders, in the meantime, making daily incur-

" sions one upon another, filled all their parts with

" trouble, the English being continually put to the

" worse ; neither were they made quiet, till, for satis-

" fying the Queen, the Laird of Bacleuch was first com- " mitted in St Andrews, and afterwards entered in Eng- " land, where he remained not long,"* Spottiswood's

History ojllic Church ofScotland, pji. 411', 4l6,£c?. I677. Scott of Satchells, in the extraordinary poetical per- formance, Avhich lie has been pleased to entitle A His"

• The Bishop is, in this last particular, rather inaccurate. Buccleuch was indeed delivered into England, but this was done in consequence of the judgment of commissioners of both nations, who met at Ber wick this same year. And his delivery took place, less on account of the raid of Carlisle, than of a second exploit of the same nature, to be noticed hereafter. 192 MINSTRELSY OF

lory of the Name of Scot! (published I688,) dwells, with great pleasure, upon this gallant achievement, at which,

it would seem, his father had been present. He also mentions, that the Laird of Buccleuch employed the services of the younger sons and brothers only of his

clan, lest the name should have been weakened by the landed men incurring forfeiture. But he adds, that three gentlemen of estate insisted upon attending their chief,

notwithstanding this prohibition. These were, tlie Lairds of Harden and Commonside, and Sir Gilbert Elliot of the Stobbs, a relation of the Laird of Buc- cleuch, and ancestor to the present Sir William Elliot, Bart. In many things Satchells agrees with the ballads

current in his time, from which, in all probability, he derived most of his information as to past events, and from which he sometimes pirates whole verses, as noticed in the annotations upon the Raid of the Rcidsmre. In the present instance, he mentions the prisoner's large spurs, (alluding to the fetters,) and some other little incidents noticed in the ballad, which was, there-

fore, probably well known in his days. All contemporary historians unite in extolling the

deed itself as the most daring and well-conducted achievement of that age. " Andaxfacinus cum modica

" manu, in urbe mcenibus et multitudiue oppidanorum mu-

" nita, et callida; aiidacia', vixullo ohsistimodo potuit."—

JoHNSTONi Historia, Ed. Amsiccl. p. 215. Birrel, in his gossipping way, says, the exploit was performed "with '* shouting and crying, and sound of trumpet, puttand —

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 193

" the said toun and countrie in sic ane fray, that the

" like of sic ane wassaladge was nevir done since the '' memory of man, no not in Wallace dayis." Birrel's

Diary, April 6, 1 (y'^^Q. This good old citizen of Edin-

burgh also mentions another incident, which 1 think proper to insert here, both as relating to the personages mentioned in the following ballad, and as tending to shew the light in which the men of the Border were regarded, even at this late period, by their fellow subjects. The author is talking of the King's return to Edinburgh, after the disgrace which he had sustained there, during the riot excited by the seditious ministers,

on December 17, 1596. Proclamation had been made, that the Earl of Mar should keep the West Port, Lord Seaton the Nether-Bow, and Buccleuch, with sundry

others, the High Gate. " Upon the morn, at this time, " and befoir this day, thair wes ane grate rumour and " word among the tounesmen, that the Kinges M sould

" send in Will Kinmond, the common thieffe, and so many " southland men as would spulye the toun of Edin- " burgh. Upon the whilk, the haill merchants tuik " thair haill gear out of their buiths or chops, and " transportit the same to the strongest hous that wes

" in the toune, and I'eraained in the said hous, thair, " with thameselfis, thair servants, and luiking for no-

" thing bot that thai sould have been all spulyeit. Sic " lyke the hail craftsmen and comons convenit themsel-

" fis, thair best guidis, as it wer ten or twelve house- " holdes in ane, whilk wes the strongest hous, and might 194 MIXSTREI.SY or

" be best kepit from spuilyeingor burning, with hagbut,

" pistolet, and other sic armour, as might best defend

" thameselfis. Judge, gentill reader, giff this Avas play- " ing." The fear of the Borderers being thus before the eyes of the contumacious citizens of Edinburgh, James obtained a quiet hearing for one of his favourite orisones, or harangues, and Avas finally enabled to prescribe terms to his fanatic metropolis. Good discipline was, however, maintained by the chiefs upon this occasion ; althougli the fears of the inhabitants were but too well grounded, considering what had happened in Stirling ten years before, when the Earl of Angus, attended by Home, Buc- cleuch, and other Border chieftains, marched thither to remove the Earl of Arran from the King's councils: the town was miserably pillaged by the Borderers, particularly by a party of Armstrongs, under this very Kin- mont Willie, Avho not only made prey of horses and cattle, but even of the very iron grating of the windows. —JoHNSTONi Historia, p. 102, Ed. Anisicel.—Moyse's

Memoirs, p. 100.

The renown of Kinmont Willie is not surprising, since, in 1587, the apprehending that freebooter, and Robert Maxwell, natural brother to the Lord Maxwell, was the main, but unaccomplished, object of a royal expedition to Dumfries. " Bex .... Rohertiim Maxvallium ....

" et Gulielmuin Armslrangum Kinmonthum lalrociniis, in-

" testinis externisque famosum, conqiiiri jiibet. Missi e

" ministerio regio qui per aspera loca vitabuiidos perse-

" quuntur, maguoque ivcommndo afficiunt. At illi laichrix — — —

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 195

" aut silvis se aipiunt.''—-J ouKSTONi Historia, p. 138.

About this time, it is possible that Kinmont Willie may have held some connection with the Maxwells, though afterwards a retainer to Buccleuch, the enemy of that tribe. At least, the editor finds, that, in a bond of manrent, granted by Simon Elliot of Whytheuch, in Lid- desdale, to Lord Maxwell, styled therein Earl of Mor- ton, dated February 28, 1599, William Armstrang, called Will of Kinmond, appears as a witness. Syme's MSS. According to Satchells, this freebooter was descended of Johnie Armstrong of Gilnockie (See Bed'

lad, p. 107 of this volume.) —Est in juvencis, est et in equis, patritm virtus. In fact, his rapacity made his very name proverbial. Mas James Melvine, in urging reasons against subscribing the act of supremacy, in 1584, asks ironically, " Who shall take order with vice and

" wickedness ? The court and bishops ? As well as " Martine Elliot, and Will of Kinmont, with stealing

" upon the Borders!" Calderwood, p. l68. This affair of Kinmont Willie was not the only occasion upon which the undaunted keeper of Liddesdale gave offence to the haughty Elizabeth. For, even before this business was settled, certain of the English Borderers having invaded Liddesdale, and wasted the country, the Laird of Buccleuch retaliated the injury by

a raid into England, in which he not only brought off

much spoil, but apprehended thirty-six of the Tynedale

thieves, all of whom he put to death. Spottiswoode,

VOL. I. N — — —

196 MINSTRELSY OF

]Tu 4.50. How highly the Queen of England's resentment blazed on this occasion, rnay be judged from the preface to her letter to Bowes, then her ambassador in

Scotland. " I wonder how base-minded that King

*' thinks me, that, with patience, I can digest this dis- " honourable ****«**. Let him know, therefore,

" that I will have satisfaction, or else ******* *.'*

These broken words of ire are inserted betwixt the subscription and the address of the letter.— Rymer, vol. XVI. p. 318. Indeed, so deadly was the resentment of the English, on account of the affronts put upon them by this formidable chieftain, that there seems at one time to have been a plan formed (not, as was alleged, without Elizabeth's privity,) to assassi- nate Buccleuch. Rymer, vol, XVI. p. 107. The matter was at length arranged by the commissioners of both nations in Berwick, by whom it was agreed that delinquents should be delivered up on both sides, and that the chiefs themselves should enter into ward in the opposite countries till these were given up, and pledges granted for the future maintenance of the quiet of the Borders. Buccleuch and Sir Robert Ker of Cess- ford (ancestor of the Duke of Roxburgh,) appear to have struggled hard against complying with this regu- lation ; so much so, that it required all James's authority to bring to order these two powerful chiefs.—

Rymer, vol. XVI. p. S22. Spottiswoode, p. 448. Cabey's Memoirs, p. 131, et sequen.—When at length they appeared, for the purpose of delivering themselves up to be warded at Berwick, an incident took place, THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 197 which nearly occasioned a revival of the deadly feud which formerly subsisted between the Scots and the Kers. Buccleuch had chosen, for his guardian, during his residence in England, Sir William Selby, master of the ordnance at Berwick, and accordingly gave himself into his hands. Sir Robert Ker was about to do the same, when a pistol was discharged by one ofhis retinue, and the cry of treason was raised. Had not the Earl of Home been present, with a party of Merse men, to preserve order, a dreadful tumult would probably have ensued. As it was, the English commissioners returned in dismay to Berwick, much disposed to wreak their displeasure on Buccleuch ; and he, on his side, mortally offended with Cessford, by whose means, as he conceived, he had been placed in circumstances of so much danger. Sir Robert Ker, however, appeased all parties, by delivering himself up to ward in England ; on which occasion he magnanimously chose for his guardian Sir Robert Carey, deputy-warden ofthe East Marches, notwithstanding various causes of animosity which existed betwixt them. The hospitality of Carey equalled the generous confidence of Cessford, and a firm friendship was the consequence.* Buccleuch appears to have re-

* Such traits of generosity illuminate the dark period of which we treat. Carey's conduct, on this occasion, almost atones for the cold and unfeeling policy with which he watched the closing moments of his benefactress, Elizabeth, impatient till remorse and sorrow should extort her last sigh, that he might lay the foundation of his future favour with her successor, by carrying him the first tidings of her death.—Cahey's Memo'irs, p. 172, rt nrqueu. It would appear that — —

198 IVIINSTIIELSY OF

mained in England from October, 1597, till Febnxavy, 1598.—JoHNSTONi Historia, p. 231.— Spottiswoode, ut supra. According to ancient family tradition, Buc- cleuch was presented to Elizabeth, who, with her usual rough and peremptory adckess, demanded ofhim, " how " he dared to undertake an enterprize so desperate and

*' presumptuous." " What is it," answered the un-

daunted chieftain, " what is it that a man dares not " do ?" Elizabeth, struck with the reply, turned to a

lord in waiting : " With ten thousand such men," said

Sir Robert Ker was soon afterwards committed to the custody of the

Archbishop of York ; for there is extant a letter from that prelate to the lord-treasurer, desiring instructions about the mode of keeping this noble hostage. " I understand," saith he, " that the gentleman

" is wise and valiant, but somewhat haughty here, and resolute. I

" would pray your lordship, that I may have directions wliether he

" may not go with his keeper in my company, to sermons ; and whe- "ther he may not sometimes dine with the council, as the last host-

" ages did ; and, thirdly, whether he may sometimes be brought to " sitting to the common-hall, where he may see liow careful her Ma-

" jesty is that the poorest subject in her kingdom may have their " right, and that her people seek remedy by law, and not by avenging

*' themselves. Perhaps it may do liim good as long as he liveth." Strype's Annals, ad annum, 1597. It would appear, from this letter, that the treatment of the hostages was liberal; though one can hardly suppress a smile at the zeal of the good bishop for the conver- sion of the Scottish chieftain to a more christian mode of thinking than was common among the Borderers of that day. The date is

February 25, 1597, which is somewhat difficult to reconcile with those given by the Scottish historians. Another letter follows, stating, that

Sir Robert, having been used to open air, prayed for more liberty for his health's sake, " offering his word, which it is said he doth chiefly

" regard, that he would be true prisoner." Strype, iliid. THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 199

she, *' our brother of Scotland might shake the firmest " throne of Europe." Luckily, perhaps, for the mur-

theress of Queen Mary, James's talents did not lie that way.

The articles, settled by the commissioners at Ber- wick, were highly favourable to the peace of the Bor- der. They may be seen at large in the Border Latosy

p. 103. By article sixth, all wardens and keepers are

discharged from seeking reparation of injuries, in the

ancient hostile mode of riding, or causing to ride, in

warlike manner against the opposite March ; and that under the highest penalty, unless authorized by a warrant under the hand of their Sovereign. The mention

of the word keeper alludes obviously to the above-mentioned reprisals, made by Buccleuch, in the capacity of keeper of Liddesdale.

This ballad is preserved, by tradition, on the West

Borders, but much mangled by reciters ; so that some conjectural emendations have been absolutely necessary

to render it intelligible. In particular, the Eden has been substituted for the Eske, p. 205, the latter name being inconsistent with geography. ;

200 MINSTRELSY OF

KINMONT WILLIE.

O HAVE ye na heard o' the fause Sakelde ?

O have ye na heard o' the keen Lord Scroope ? How they hae ta'en bauld Kinmont WilUe,

On Hairibee to hang him up ?

Had Willie had but twenty men, But twenty men as stout as he,

Fause Sakelde had never the Kinmont ta'en, Wi' eight score in his cumpanie.

They band his legs beneath the steed. They tied his hands behind his back They guarded him, fivesome on each side. And they brought him oAver the Liddel-rack, THE SCOTTISH BOllDEll. 201

They led him thro' the Liddel-rack,

And also thro' the Carlisle sands ; They brought him to Carlisle castell, To be at my Lord Scroope's commands.

" My hands are tied, but my tongue is free

" And whae will dare this deed avow ?

" Or answer by the Border law ? " Or answer to the bauld Buccleuch !"

'' Now haud thy tongue, thou rank reiver !

" There's never a Scot shall set ye free : " Before ye cross my castle yate,

" I trow ye shall take farewell o' me."

" Fear na ye that, my lord," quo' Willie :

" By the faith o' my body, Lord Scroope," he said,

" I never yet lodged in a hostelrie,*

" But I paid my lawing-f- before I gaed."

Now word is gane to the bauld Keeper,

In Branksome Ha', where that he lay,

That Lord Scroope has ta'en the Kinmont Willie, Between the hours of night and day.

• Hostclik—Inn. f Latchig— Reckoning. 202 MINSTRELSY OF

He has taVn the table wi' his hand, He garr'd the red wine spring on hie— " Now Christ's curse on my head," he said, " But avenged of Lord Scroope I'll be !

" O is my basnet * a widow's curch ? -f-

" Or my lance a wand of the willow tree ?

" Or my arm a ladye's lilye hand, " That an English lord should lightly| me !

" And have they ta en hnii, Kinmont Willie,

" Against the truce of Border tide ? " And forgotten that the bauld Buccleuch

" Is Keeper here on the Scottish side ?

*' And have they e'en ta'en him, Kinmont WiUie,

" Withouten either dread or fear ? " And forgotten that the bauld Buccleuch

" Can back a steed, or shake a spear ?

" O were tliere war between the lands,

" As well I wot that there is none,

" I would slight Carlisle castell high,

" Tho' it were builded of marble stone.

* Basnet— Hchnct. -f CiircJt—Coif. t I^ighlly—Set light by. : ; —;

THE SCOTTISH BORDEll. 203

" I would set that castell in a low,*

" And sloken it with English blood ! " There's nevir a man in Cumberland,

" Should ken where Carlisle castell stood.

" But since nae war's between the lands,

" And there is peace, and peace should be

" I'll neither harm English lad or lass, " And yet the Kinmont freed shall be !"

He has call'd him forty Marchmen bauld, I trow they were of his ain name,

Except Sir Gilbert Elliot call'd.

The Laird of Stobs, I mean the same.

He has call'd him forty Marchmen bauld.

Were kinsmen to the bauld Buccleuch ;

With spur on heel, and splent on spauld,-f-

And gleuves of green, and feathers blue.

There were five and five before them a', Wi' hunting horns and bugles bright

And five and five came wi' Buccleuch,

Like warden's men, array'd for fight

* Loxc—Flame. -j- Splent on spauld—Armour on shoulder. ;

204 MINSTRELSY OF

And five and five, like a mason gang,

That carried the ladders lang and hie ; And five and five, like broken men And so they reached the Woodhouselee.

And as we crossed the Bateable Land, When to the EngUsh side we held,

The first o' men that we met wi',

Whae sould it be but fause Sakelde ?

Where be ye gaun, ye hunters keen ?" !" Quo' fause Sakelde ; " come tell to me We go to hunt an English stag, " Has trespass'd on the Scots countric."

Where be ye gaun, ye marshal men ?"' !" Quo" fause Sakelde ; " come tell me true We go to catch a rank reiver, " Has broken faith wi' the bauld Buccleuch.

" Where are ye gaun, ye mason lads,

?"" " Wi' a"* your ladders, lang and hie *' We gang to herry a corbie''s nest, " That wons not far frac Woodhouselee. ;

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 205

" Where be ye gaun, ye broken men ?''"' !" Quo" fause Sakelde ; " come tell to me Now Dickie of Dryhope led that band, | And the never a word o' lear had he.

" Why trespass ye on the Enghsh side ? " Row-footed outlaws, stand !" quo' he

The nevir a word had Dickie to say, Sae he thrust the lance through his fause bodie.

Then on we held for Carlisle toun.

And at Staneshaw-bank the Eden we crossed ; The water was great and meikle of spait,

But the nevir a horse nor man we lost.

And when we reacli'd the Staneshaw-bank,

The wind was rising loud and hie ; And there the Laird garr^d leave our steeds, For fear that they should stamp and nie.

And when we left the Staneshaw-bank,

The wind began full loud to blaw ;

But "'twas wind and weet, and fire and sleet. When we came beneath the castle wa\ —— ; —

206 MINSTRELSY OF

We crept on knees, and held our breatli, Till we placed the ladders against the wa'; And sae ready was Buccleuch himsell

To mount the first, before us a\

He has ta''en the watchman by the throat, He flung him down upon the lead " Had there not been peace between our land,

" Upon the other side thou hadst gaed !

" Now sound out, trumpets !" quo' Buccleuch " Let's waken Lord Scroope, right merrilie ! Then loud the warden's trumpet blew

" O wha dare meddle w'i' me ?"*

Then speedilie to work we gaed,

And raised the slogan ane and a',

And cut a hole tluro' a sheet of lead, And so we wan to the castle ha\

They thought King James and a' his men

Had won the house ^vi' bow and spear

It was but twenty Scots and ten,

That put a thousand in sic a stear !f

" The name of a Border tune. f 5to> —-Stir. ; • —

THE SCOTTISH BOUDER. 207

Wi' coulters, and wi^ fore-hammers, We garrM the bars bang merrilie, Untill we cam to the inner prison, ^ Where WilUe o' Kinmont he did he.

And when we cam to the lower prison,

Where Willie o' Kinmont he did lie *' O sleep ye, wake ye, Kinmont Willie, " Upon the morn that thou's to die?"

"01 sleep saft, * and I wake aft " It's lang since sleeping was fleyed frao ! -f- me " Gie my service back to my wife and bairns,

" And a' gude fellows that spier for me."

Then Red Rowan has hente him up. The starkest man in Teviotdale— " Abide, abide now, Red Rowan,

" Till of my Lord Scroope I take farewell.

*' Fai'ewell, farewell, my gude Lord Scroope ! " My gude Lord Scroope, farewell !" he cried—

*' I'll pay you for my lodging maill,:|:

" When first we meet on the Border side."

* .SV//V_Ligiit. f Flci/ei1—VnghleneL\. t Mni//~^Eent. !

208 MINSTRELSY OF

Then shoulder high, with shout and cry,

We bore him down the ladder lang ; At every stride Red Rowan made,

I wot the Kinmont's aims play''d clang

" O mony a time," quo' Kinmont Willie, *' I have ridden horse baith wild and wood ** But a rougher beast than Red Rowan,

*' I ween my legs have ne'er bestrode.

'' And mony a time," quo' Kinmont Willie, * " IVe pricked a horse out oure the furs ;

" But since the day I backed a steed,

*' I never wore sic cumbrous spurs !"

AVe scarce had won the Staneshaw-bank,

When a' the Carlisle bells Avere rung. And a thousand men, in horse and foot. Cam wi' the keen Lord Scroope along.

Buccleuch has turn'd to Eden water.

Even where it flow'd frae bank to brim,

And he has plunged in wi' a' his band. And safely swam them through the stream.

• Furs— Furrows. THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 209

He turn'd him on the othei* side, And at Lord Scroope his glove flung he— " If ye Uke na my visit in merry England,

" In fair Scotland come visit me !""

All sore astonished stood Lord Scroope,

He stood as still as rock of stane ; He scarcely dared to trew his eyes, When through the water they had gane.

" He is either himsell a devif frae hell, " Or else his mother a witch maun be;

" I wad na have ridden that wan water,

*' For a' the gowd in Christentie." 210 :MINSTllEr,SY OF

NOTES

KINMONT WILLIE.

On Hairihee to hang him vp_?—P. 200. v. 1. Hairibee is tlie place of execution at Carlisle.

And they brought him ower the Liddel-rack.—P. 200. v. 3.

The Liddel-rack is a ford on the Liddel.

And so they reach'd the Woodhouselee.—P. 204. v. 1.

Woodhouselee ; a house on the Border, belonging to Buc- cleuch. »»******' The Salkeldes, or Sakeldes, were a powerful family in Cum- berland, possessing, among other manors, that of Corby, before it came into the possession of the Howards, in the beginning of the seventeenth century. A strange stratagem was practised by an outlaw, called Jock Graeme of the Peartree, upon Mr Salkelde, SherifFof Cumberland ; who is probably the person alluded to in the ballad, as the fact is stated to have happened late in Elizabeth's time. The brother of this free- THE SCOTTISH BOllDER. 211

booter was lying in Carlisle jail for execution, when Jock of the Peartree came riding past the gate of Corby Castle. A child of the sheriff was playing before the door, to whom the outlaw gave an apple, saying, " Master, will you ride?" The boy wiUingly consenting, Grame took him up before him, carried him into Scotland, and would never part with him, till he had his brother safe from the gaUows. There is no historical ground for supposing, either that Salkelde, or any one else, lost his life in the raid of Carlisle. In the hst of Border clans, 1597, Will of Kinmonth, with Kyrstie Armestrange, and John Skynbank, are mentioned as leaders of a band of Armstrongs called Sandies Barnes, inhabiting the Debateable Land. The ballad itself has never before been published. 212 MINSTRELSY Ol'

DICK O' THE COW

This ballad, and the two which immediately follow it in the collection, were first published, 1 7S4, in the Ha- wick Museum, a provincial miscellany, to which they were communicated by John Elliot, Esq. of Reidheugh, a gentleman well skilled in the antiquities of the West- ern Border, and to whose friendly assistance the editor is indebted for many valuable communications. These ballads are connected with each other, and appear to have been composed by the same author. The actors seem to have flourished, while Thomas Lord Scroope, of Bolton, was warden of the West Marches of

England, and governor of Carlisle castle ; which offices he acquired upon the death of his father, about 1590, and retained till the union of the crowns. Dick of the Cow, from the privileged insolence which he assumes, seems to have been Lord Scroope's jester.

In the preliminary dissertation, the reader will find the Border custom of assimiing nommes dc guerre particular. —

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 213

ly noticed. It is exemplified in the following ballad, where one Armstrong is called the Laird's Jock, (i. e. the laird's son Jock), another Fair Johnie, a third Billie

Willie (brother Willie), &c. The Laird's Jock, son to the Laird of Mangerton, appears, as one of the men of name in Liddesdale, in the list of the Boi-der Clans, 1597-

Dick of the Cow is erroneously supposed to have been the same with one Ricardus Coldall, de Plumpton, a knight and celebrated warrior, who died in 1462, as appears from his epitaph in the church of Penrith. Nicholson's History of Westmoreland and Cumberland, vol. II. p. 408.

This ballad is very popular in Liddesdale ; and the reciter always adds, at the conclusion, that poor Dickie's cautious removal to Burgh under Stanemore did not save him from the clutches of the Armstrongs ; for that, having fallen into their power several years after this exploit, he was put to an inhuman death. The ballad was well known in England so early as 1 596. An allusion to it likewise occurs in Parrot's Luquei Ridiculosi, or

Springes for Woodcocks ; London, 16\3.

Owenus wondreth since he came to Wales,

What the description of this isle should be,

That nere had seen but mountains, hills, and dales. Yet would he boast, and stand on pedigree. From Rice ap Richard, sprung from Dick a Cuw,

Be cod, was right gud gentleman, look ye now ! E2>igr. 76. ; ; ;

214 MINSTRELSY OF

DICK O' THE COW.

Now Liddesdale has lay en lang in,

There is na ryding there at a""

The horses are sC grown sae Hther fat,

They downa stir out o'' the sta\

Fair Johnie Armstrang to WiUie did say- " Billie, a riding we will gae ; " England and us have been lang at feid :

" Ablins we'll light on some bootie.""

Then they are come on to Hutton Ha' They rade that proper place about But the laird he was the wiser man.

For he had left nae gear without. ;:

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 215

For he had left nae gear to steal,

Except sax sheep upon a lee :

Quo' Johnie—" I'd rather in England die,

" Ere thir sax sheep gae to Liddesdale wi' me.

" But how ca' they the man we last met,

" Billie, as we cam owre the know ?""

" That same he is an innocent fule,

" And men they call him Dick o' the Cow.""

" That fule has three as good kye o' his ain, " As there are in a' Cumberland, billie," quo' he :

" Betide me life, betide me death, " These kye shall go to Liddesdale wi' me."

Then they have come on to the pure fule's house, And they hae broken his wa's sae wide

They have loosed out Dick o' the Cow's three kye, And ta'en three co'erlets frae his wife's bed.

Then on the morn when the day was light, The shouts and cries rase loud and hie " O baud thy tongue, my wife," he says, " And o' thy crying let me be ! 216 MINSTRELSY OF

" O, hand tliy tongue, my -wife,'" he says, " And o' thy crying let me be ; " And ay where thou hast lost ae cow, " In gude suith I shall bring thee three.""

Now Dickie''s gane to the gude Lord Scroope,

And I wat a dreirie fule was he ; *' Now haud thy tongue, my fule," he says,

*' For I may not stand to jest wi' thee."

" Shame fa' your jesting, my lord !" quo"" Dicki " For nae sic jesting grees wi' me ;

" Liddesdale's been in my liouse last night, " And they hae awa my three kye frae me.

" But I may nae langer in Ciniiberland dwell,

" To be your puir fule and your leal,

" Unless you gi' me leave, my lord, " To gae to Liddesdale and steal."

!" I gie thee leave, my fule lie says ; " Thou speakest against my honoxn- and me. Unless thou gie me thy trowth and thy hand,

" Thou''lt steal frae nane but whae sta"* frae thee. ;

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 21?

" There is my trowfh, and my right hand !

" My head shall hang on Hairibee ;

" I'll ne'er cross Carhsle sands again,

" If I steal frae a man but whae sta' frae me."

Dickie's ta'en leave o' lord and master ;

I wat a merry fule was he !

He's bought a bridle and a pair o' new spurs.

And packed them up in his brcek thie.

Then Dickie's come on to Pudding-burn house,

E'en as fast as he might drie ; Then Dickie's come on to Pudding-burn, Where there were thirty Armstrangs and three.

" ?" O what's this come o' me now quo' Dickie ;

" What mickle wae is this ?" quo' he

" For here is but ae innocent fule, " And there are thirty Armstrangs and three !"

Yet he has come up to the fair ha' board,

Sae weil he's become his courtesie !

" Weil may ye be, my gude Laird's Jock !

" But the deil bless a' your cumpanie. ——

218 MINSTRELSY OF

" Fm come to plain o' your man, fair Johnie Armstrang, " And sj-ne o' his billie Willie," quo'' he ;

" How they've been in my house last night,

" And they hae ta''en my three kve frae me."'''

" Ha V quo' fair Johnie Armsti*ang, " we will him hang."

" Na," quo' Willie, " we'll him slae." Then up and spak another young Armstrang,

" We'll gie him his batts,'* and let him gae."

But up and spak the gude Laird's Jock,

The best falla in a' the cumpanie,

" Sit down thy ways a little while, Dickie,

" And a piece o' thy ain cow's hough I'll gie ye."

But Dickie's heart it grew sae grit.

That the ne'er a bit o't he dought to eat Then he was aware of an auld peat-house,

Where a' the night he thought for to sleep.

Then Dickie was aware of an auld peat-house,

Where a' the night he thought for to lye

And a' the prayers the puir fule pray'd,

Were, " I wish I had amends for my gude three kyc !"

* Gie him his hatts—Dismiss him with a beating. ; —;

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 219

It was then the rise of Pudding-burn house.

And the house of Mangerton, all hail,

Them that cam na at the first ca',

Gat nae mair meat till the neist meal.

The lads, that hungry and weary were, Abune the door-head they tlirew the key

Dickie he took gude notice o' that,

Says—" There will be a bootie for me."

Then Dickie has in to the stable gane,

Where there stood thirty horses and three ;

He has tied them a"" wi' St Mary's knot, A' these horses but barely three.

He has tied them a' wi"" St ]Mary"'s knot, A' these horses but barely three

He's loupen on ane, ta'en another in hand.

And away as fast as he can hie.

But on the morn, when the day grew light.

The shouts and cries raise loud and hie

" ?" Ah ! whae has done this quo' the gude Laird's Jock,

" Tell me the truth and the verity .'" ; ;; ; ;

220 MINSTIIELSY OF

" Whae has done this deed ?" quo'' the gude Laird''s Jock

!'" " See tliat to me ye dinna he

" Dickie has been in the stable last night,

" And has ta'en my brother's horse and mine frae me/

" Ye wad ne'er be tald," quo' the gude Laird's Jock

" Have ye not found my tales fu' leil ?

" Ye ne'er wad out o' England bide,

" Till crooked, and blind, and a' would steal."

" But lend me thy bay," fair Johnie can say

" There's nae horse loose in the stable save he

" And I'll either fetch Dick o' the Cow again,

" Or the day is come that he shall die."

" To lend thee my bay !" the Laird's Jock can say, " He's baith worth gowd and gude monie

" Dick o' the Cow has awa twa horse

" I wish na thou may make him three."

He has ta'en the laird's jack on his back, his thie A twa-handed sword to hang by ;

He has ta'en a steil cap on his head. And gallopped on to foUoAV Dickie. !

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 221

Dickie was na a mile frae aff the town,

I wat a mile but barely three,

When he was o"'erta"'en by fair Johnie Armstrang,

Hand for hand, on Cannobie lee.

*' Abide, abide, thou traitour thief

" The day is come that thou maun die.*'"'

Then Dickie look't owre his left shoulder.

Said—" Johnie, hast thou nae mae in cumpanie ?

" There is a preacher in our chapell,

" And a' the live lang day teaches he :

" When day is gane and night is come,

" There^'s neVr ae word I maik but three.

" first is The and second —Faith and Conscience ;

*' The third—Ne'er let a traitour free : " But, Johnie, what faith and conscience was thine,

" When thou took awa my three kye frae me ?

" And wlien thou had ta'en awa my three kye, " Thou thought in thy heart thou wast not weil sped,

" Till thou sent thy billie Wilhe ower the know,

'* To tak tlirie coverlets off my wife's bed !" — —

222 , MINSTRELSY OF

Then Johnie let a speir fa' laigh by his thie,

Thouglit well to liae slain the innocent, I trow ; But the powers above were mair than he,

For he ran but the pure fule's jerkin through.

Together they ran, or ever they blan ;

This was Dickie the fule and he !

Dickie could na win at him wi' the blade o' the sword,

But fell'd him wi' the plummet under the e*'e.

Thus Dickie has felPd fair Johnie Ai-mstrang,

The prettiest man in the south country " Gramercy V then can Dickie say,

" I had but twa horse, thou hast made me thrie !""

He''s ta'en the steil jack aff Johnie's back.

The twa-handed sword that hung low by his thie ;

He's taen the steil cap aff his head

" Johnie, I""!! tell my master I met wi' thee."

When Johnie wakened out o' his dream,

I wat a dreirie man was he :

" And is thou gane ? Now, Dickie, than

" The shame and dule is left wi' me. —

THE SCOTTISH BORDEK. 223

" And is thou gane ? Now, Dickie, than

" The deil gae in thy cunipanie !

" For if I should hve these hundred years,

" I ne'er shall fight wi' a fule after thee."

Then Dickie's come hame to the gude Lord Scroope,

E'en as fast as he might hie ;

" Now, Dickie, I'll neither eat nor drink,

" Till hie hanged thou shalt be."

!" " The shame speed the liars, my lord quo' Dickie ;

" This was na the promise ye made to me !

" For I'd ne'er gane to Liddesdale to steal,

" Had I not got my leave frae thee."

" But what garr'd thee steal the Laird's Jock's horse ?

" .?" And, hmmer, what garr'd ye steal him quo' he ;

" For lang thou mightst in Cumberland dwelt,

1 " Ere the Laird's Jock had stown frae thee."

" Indeed I wat ye lied, my lord ! " And e'en sae loud as I hear ye lie !

" I wan the horse frae fair Johnie Armstrang,

" Hand to hand, on Cannobie lee. ;

224 MINSTRELSY OF

" There is tlie jack was on his back ;

" This twa-handed sword hang laigh by his thie,

" And there''s the steil cap was on his head

" I brought a' these tokens to let tliee see,"

" If that be true thou to me tells,

" (xVnd I think thou dares na tell a lie,)

" ril gie thee fifteen punds for the horse,

" Weil tald on thy cloak lap shall be.

" I'll gie thee anc o' my best milk kye, " To maintain thy wife and children thrie ;

" And that may be as gude, I think,

" As ony twa o' thine wad be.'''

" The shame speed the liars, my lord !" quo' Dickie

" Trow ye aye to make a fule o' me ?

" I'll either hae twenty punds for the gude horse,

" Or he's gae to Mortan fair wi' me."

He's gien him twenty punds for the gude liorse,

A' in goud and gude monie ;

He's gien him ane o' his best milk kye,

To maintain his wife and children thrie. ;

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 225

Then Dickie's come down thro' Carlisle toun,

E'en as fast as he could drie ;

The first o' men that he met wi'.

Was my lord's brother, Bailiff Glozenburrie,

" Weil be ye met, my gude Ralph Scroope !"

!" " Welcome, my brother's fule quo' he :

" Where didst thou get fair Johnie Armstrang's horse ?"

" Where did I get him ? but steal him," quo' he.

** But wilt thou sell me the bonny horse ?

?''"' " And, billie, wilt thou sell him to me quo' he :

" Ay ; if thou'lt tell me the monie on my cloak lap :

" For there's never ae penny I'll trust thee."

" I'll gie thee ten punds for the gude horse,

** Weil tald on thy cloak lap they shall be ;

" And I'll gie thee ane o' the best milk kye,

" To maintain thy wife and children thrie."

" The shame speid the liars, my lord !" quo' Dickie " Trow ye aye to mak a fule o' me !

" I'll either hae twenty punds for the gude horse,

" Or he's gae to Mortan fair wi' me." ; ; — ; ;

226 MINSTKELSY OF

He''s gien him twenty punds for the gude horse,

Baith in guod and gude monie

He's gien him ane o' his best milk kye,

To maintain his wife and children thrie.

Then Dickie lap a loup fu*" hie,

And I wat a loud laugh laughed he

" I wish the neck o"" the third horse was broken, "If ony of the twa were better than he !"

Then Dickie's come hame to his wife again

Judge ye how the puir fule had sped ! He has gien her twa score English punds,

For the thrie auld coverlets ta'en aff" her bed.

" And tak thee these twa as gude kye,

" I trow, as a' thy thrie might be

" And yet liere is a white-footed nagie,

" I trow he'll carry baith thee and me.

" But I may nae langer in Cumberland bide

" The Armstrangs they would hang me hie."

So Dickie's ta'en leave at lord and master,

And at Burgh imder Stanmuir there dwells he. THE SCOTTISH BORDEll. 227

NOTES

DIGK O' THE COW.

Then Dickie's come on to Pudding-bvrn house.—P, 217. v. 3. This was a house of strength, held by the Armstrongs. The ruins at present form a sheep-fold, on the farm of Reidsmoss, belonging to the Duke of Buccleuch.

He has tied them a ivi' St Mary's knot.—P. 219. v. 4. Hamstringing a horse is termed, in the Border dialect, tying him with St Mary's knot. Dickie used this cruel expedient to prevent a pursuit. It appears from the narration, that the horses, left unhurt, belonged to fair Johnie Armstrang, his brother Willie, and the Laird's Jock, of which Dickie carried off two, and left that of the Laird's Jock, probably out of gratitude for the protection he had afforded him on his arrival.

Hand for hand, on Cannobie lee.—P. 221. v. 1. A rising-ground on Cannobie, on the borders of Liddesdale.

Ere the Laird's Jock had stownfrae thee.—P. 223. v. 4. The commendation of tjie Laird's Jock's honesty seems but

indifferently founded ; for, in July, 1586, a bill was fouled against him, Dick of Dryup, and others, by the deputy of Bew-

voL. I. r 228 MINSTRELSY OF

castle, at a warden-meeting, for 400 head of cattle taken in open forray from the Drysike in Bewcastle : and in September 1587, another complaint appears at the instance of one An- drew Rutledge of the Nook, against the Laird's Jock, and his accomplices, for 50 kine and oxen, besides furniture, to the amount of 100 merks sterling. See Bell's MSS., as quoted in the Historji of Cumberland and Westmoreland. In Sir Rich- ard jVIaitland's poem against the thieves of Liddesdale, he thus commemorates the Laird's Jock :

They spuilye puir men of their pakis.

They leif them nocht on bed nor bakis ; Baith hen and cok.

With reil and rok, The Lairdis JucU All with him takis.

Those who plundered Dick had been bred up under an expert teacher. Tradition reports, that the Laird's Jock survived to extreme old age, when he tlied in the following extraordinary manner. A challenge had been given by an Englishman, named Forster, to any Scottish Borderer, to fight him at a place called Kers- hope-foot, exactly upon the Borders. The Laird's Jock's only son accepted the defiance, and was armed by his father with his own two-handed sword. The old champion himself, though bed-ridden, insisted upon being present at the battle. He was borne to the place appointed, wrapped, it is said, in blankets, and placed upon a very high stone to witness the conflict. In the duel his son fell, treacherously slain, as the Scotch tradition affirms. The old man gave a loud yell of terror and despair when he saAV his son slain and his noble weapon won by an Englishman, and died as they bore him home. A venerable Border poet (though of these later days) has composed a poem on this romantic incident. The stone on which the Laird's Jock sate to behold the duel, was in ex-

istence till wantonly destroyed a year or two since. It was always called The Laikd's Jock's Ston£. THE SCOTTISH BORDER.

JOCK O' THE SIDE.

The subject of this ballad, being a common event in those troublesome and disorderly times, became a favourite theme of the ballad-makers. There are, in this collection, no fewer than three poems on the rescue of prisoners, the incidents in which nearly resemble each other ; though the poetical description is so different, that the editor did not think himself at liberty to reject any one of them, as borrowed from the others. As, however, there are several verses, which, in recitation, are

common to all these three songs, the editor, to prevent unnecessary and disagreeable repetition, has used the freedom of appropriating them to that in which they seem to have the best poetic effect. The reality of this story rests solely upon the foundation of tradition. Jock o' the Side seems to have been

nephew to the Laird of Mangertoun, cousin to the Laird's Jock, one of his deliverers, and probably brother tQ ;

230 MINSTRELSY OF

Chrystie of the Syde, mentioned in the list of Border clans, 1 597. Like the Laird's Jock, he also is commemorated by Sir Richard Maitland.— See the Litroduction.

He is well kend, Johne of the Syde,

A greater thief did never ryde ; He nevir tyris, For to brek byris. Our iiiuir aud myris Ouir gude ane guide.

Jock o' the Side appears to have assisted the Earl of Westmoreland in his escape after his unfortunate insurrection with the Earl of Northumberland, in the twelfth year of Elizabeth. *' The two rebellious rebels went into Liddesdale in Scotland, yesternight, where Martin Ell-

wood (Elliot) and others, that have given pledges to the regent of Scotland, did raise their forces against them being conducted by black Ormeston, an outlaw of Scot- land, that was a principal murtherer of the King of Scots, where the fight was offered, and both parties alighted

from their horses ; and, in the end, Ellwood said to Or- meston, he would be sorry to enter deadly feud with him

by bloodshed ; but he would charge him and the rest be-

fore the regent for keeping of the rebels; and if he did not put them out of the country, the next day, he would

doe his worst again them ; whereupon, the two earls

were driven to leave Liddesdale, and to fly to one of the Armstrongs, a Scot upon the batable Qlebateable^ land on the Borders between Liddesdale and England. The —

THE SCOTTISH BOllDER. 231

same day the Lidtlesdale men stole the horses of the Countess of Northumberland, and of her two women,

and ten others of their company ; so as, the earls being

gone, the lady of Northumberland was left there on foot, at John of the Side's house, a cottage not to be compared to many a dog-kennel in England. At their depart-

ing from her, they went not above fifty horse, and the Earl of Westmoreland, to be the more unknown, changed his coat of plate and sword with John of the Side, and departed like a Scottish Borderer." Advertisements

Jrom Hexham, 22d December, 1569> in the Cabala, p. 160. The land-serjeant mentioned in this ballad, and also

that of Hobble Noble, was an officer under the warden, to whom was committed the apprehending of delinquents, and the care of the public peace. —

232 MINSTRELSY OF

JOCK O' THE SIDE.

Now Liddesdale has ridden a raid,

But I wat they had better hae staid at hame ;

For Michael o' Winfield he is dead,

And Jock o' the Side is prisoner ta'en.

For Mangerton house Lady Downie has gane,

Her coats she has kilted up to her knee ;

And down the water wi' speed she rins.

While tears in spaits * fa' fast frae her e'e.

Then up and spoke our gude auld lord

" What news, what news, sister Downie, to me ?" " Bad news, bad news, my Lord Mangerton ;

" Michael is killed, and they hae ta'en my son Johnie.'

" .S^ajV*—Torrents. ; ;

THE SCOTTISH ROUDElt. 233

*' Ne'er fear, sister Downie," quo' Mangerton " I have yokes of ousen, eighty and three ;

" My barns, my byres, and my faulds a' weil fill'd,

*' I'll part wi' them a' ere Johnie shall die.

" Three men I'll send to set him free,

" A' harneist wi' the best o' steil " The English louns may hear, and drie

" The weight o' their braid-swords to feel.

" The Laird's Jock ane, the Laird's Wat twa, " O Hobbie Noble, thou ane maun be !

" Thy coat is blue, thou hast been true, " Since England banish'd thee to me."

Now Hobbie was an English man.

In Bewcastle dale was bred and born : But his misdeeds they were sae great. They banish'd him ne'er to return.

Lord Mangerton them orders gave, " Your horses the wrang way maun be shod ; " Like gentlemen ye mauna seim, "But look hke corn-caugers * ga'en the road.

* Cai/^ers—Carriers. ;

234 MINSTRELSY OF

" Your armour gude ye mauna shaw,

" Nor yet appear like men o"" weir

" As country lads be a' array'd, ** Wi' branks and brecham * on each mare.'

Sae now their horses are the wrang way shod,

And Hobbie has mounted his grey sae fine ; Jock his lively bay, Wat's on his white horse behind. And on they rode for the water of Tyne.

At the Cholerford they a' light down,

And there, wi' the help of the light o' the moon, A tree they cut, wi' fifteen nogs on each side, To climb up the wa' of Newcastle toun.

But when they came to Newcastle toun, And were alighted at the wa',

They fand thair tree three ells ower laigh, They fand their stick baith short and sma'.

Then up and spak the Laird's ain Jock ;

" There's naething for't ; the gates we maun force.

But when they cam the gate untill, A proud porter withstood baith men and horse.

* Branks and Brecham— Halter and cart-collar. ;

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 23i

His neck in twa the Armstrangs wrang ;

Wi"" fute or hand he ne'er play'd pa !

His Hfe and his keys at anes they hae ta'en, And cast the body ahind the wa\

Now sune they reach Newcastle jail, And to the prisoner thus they call

" Sleeps thou, wakes thou, Jock o' the Side, " Or art thou weary of thy thrall ?""

Jock answers thus, wi' dulefu"" tone ; " Aft, aft I wake—I seldom sleep : " But whae's this kens my name sae weil, *' And thus to mese * my waes does seik ?"

Then out and spak the gude Laird's Jock, " Now fear ye na, my billie," quo' he ; " For here are the Laird's Jock, the Laird's Wat, " And Hobbie Noble, come to set thee free."

" Now had thy tongue, my gude Laird's Jock, " For ever, alas ! this canna be ;

" For if a' Liddesdale were here the night,

" The morn's the day that I maun die.

* Mese~~Sooth. ;

236 MINSTRELSY OF

" Full fifteen stane o"' Spanish iron,

" They hae laid a"" right sair on me ** Wi"' locks and keys I am fast bound

" Into this dungeon dark and dreirie.""

Fear ye na^ that," quo' the Laird's Jock " A faint heart ne'er wan a fair ladie ; Work thou within, we'D work without,

" And I'll be sworn we'll set thee free."

The first strong door that they cam at.

They loosed it without a key ;

The next chain'd door that they cam at.

They garr'd it a' to flinders flee.

The prisoner now upon his back,

The Laird's Jock has gotten up fu' hie ;

And down the stairs, him, aims and a', Wi' nae sma' speid and joy, brings he.

" Now, Jock, my man," quo' Hobbie Noble,

" Some o' his weight ye may lay on me." " I wat weil no !" quo' the Laird's ain Jock,

" I count him lighter than a flee." ; ;

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 237

Sae out at the gates they a' are gane,

The prisoner"'s set on horseback hie ;

And now wi"" speid they've ta'en the gate,

While ilk ane jokes fu' wantonlie :

" O Jock ! sae winsomely's ye ride, " Wi** baith your feet upon ae side " Sae weel ye're harneist, and sae trig,

!"" " In troth ye sit like ony bride

The night, tho' wat, they did na mind.

But hied them on fu' merrilie,

Until they cam to Cholerford brae,* Where the water ran like mountains hie.

But when they cam to Cholerford, There they met with an auld man

Says—" Honest man, will the water ride ?

*' Tell us in haste, if that ye can."

" I wat weel no," quo' the gude auld man ; " I hae lived here thretty years and thrie, " And I ne'er yet saw the Tyne sae big,

" Nor running anes sae like a sea."

" Cholerford hrae—X ford, upon the Tyne, above Hexham. ; ; ; ;;

238 MINSTRELSY OF

Then out and spoke the Laird's saft Wat,

The greatest cowai'd in the cumpanie ; " Now halt, now halt ! we need na try't

" The day is come we a' maun die !"

*' Puir faint-hearted thief!" cried the Laird's ain Jock,

" There'l nae man die but him that's fie ;*

" ril guide ye a' right safely thro' " Lift ye the pris'ner on ahint me."

Wi' that the water they hae ta'en,

By ane's and twa's they a' swam thro'

" Here are we a' safe," quo' the Laird's Jock, " And, puir faint Wat, what think ye now ?"

They scarce tlie other brae had won, When twenty men they saw pui-sue

Frae Newcastle toun they had been sent,

A' English lads baith stout and true.

But when the land-serjeant the water saw,

" It winna ride, my lads," says he Then cried aloud—" The prisoner take,

" But leave the fetters, I pray, to me."

• i^ie—Predestined. ;

THE SCOTTISH BOllDEK. 239

" I wat weil no," quo' the Laird's ain Jock ; " I'll keep them a' ; shoon to my mare they'll be, " My gude bay mare—for I am sure, " She has bought them a' right dear frae thee."

Sae now they are on to Liddesdale,

E'en as fast as they could them hie ;

The prisoner is brought to's ain fire-side,

And there o's aims they mak him free.

*' Now, Jock, my bilhe," quo' a' the three,

" The day is com'd thou was to die

" But thou's as weil at thy ain ingle side, " Now sitting, I think, 'twixt thee and me. 240 MINSTRELSY OF

THE DEATH OF FEATHERSTONHAUGH.

This old Northumbrian ballad was originally printed in

the notes to Marmion, but it is here inserted in its proper

place. It was taken down from the recitation of a woman eighty years of age, mother of one of the miners in Al- ston-Moor, by the agent of the lead mines there, who

communicated it to my friend and correspondent, R. Surtees, Esq. of Mainsforth. She had not, she said,

heard it for many years ; but, when she was a girl, it

used to be sung at merry-makings, " till the roof rung " again." To preserve this curious, though rude rhyme,

it is here inserted. The ludicrous turn given to the

slaughter, marks that wild and disorderly state of society, in which a murder was not merely a casual circumstance,

but, in some cases, an exceedingly good jest. The struc- ture of the ballad resembles the " Fray of Suport," having the same irregular stanza and wild chorus. THE SCOTTISH BORDEK. 241

DEATH OF FEATHERSTONHAUGH.

Hoot awa", lads, hoot awa,"'

Ha"" ye heard how the Ridleys, and Thirlwalls, and a'.

Ha'' set upon Albany* Featherstonhaugh,

And taken his life at the Deadmanshaugh ? There was Willimoteswick, And Hardriding Dick, And Hughie of Hawdon, and Will of the Wa'.

I canno tell a', I canno tell a'',

And mony a mair that the deil may knaw.

The auld man went down, but Nicol, his son.

Ran away afore the fight was begun ; And he run, and he run, And afore they were done,

There was many a Featherston gat sic a stun. As never was seen since the world begun.

* Pronounced Auboinj. ; ; ; —

S42 MINSTHELSY OF

I canno tell a'', I canno tell a'

Some gat a skelp,* and some gat a claw

But they garM the Featherstons haud their jaw,f

Nicol, and Alick, and a." Some gat a hurt, and some gat nane

Some had harness, and some gat sta^en-ij:

Ane gat a twist o" the craig;§

Ane gat a bunchy o' the wame ;**

Symy Haw gat lamed of a leg,

And syne ran wallowing hame.-f-f-

Hoot, hoot, the aiild man's slain outright !

Lay him now wi' his face down : —he's a sorrowful sight.

Janet, thou donot,|:J:

I'll lay my best bonnet,

Thou gets a new gude-man afore it be night.

" Skelp —Signifies slap, or rather is the same word wliich was originally spelled schlap.

f Haud their jaw— Hold their jaw; a vulgar expression still in use.

J Gat sla^en—Got stolen, or were plundered ; a very likely termination of the fray.

^ Craig—'Seek. ^T £(/»f/i— Punch. •* IFowe—Belly. + + Wallouirtg—Bellowing. XX Donot—Silly slut. The Border bard calls her so, because she was

weeping for her husband ; a loss which he seems to think might be soon repaired. THE SCOTTISH BORDEK. 243

Hoo away, lads, hoo away,

Wi's a be hangid if we stay.

Talc' up the dead man, and lay him anent the bigging :

Here''s the Bailey o"* Haltwhistle,*

Wi' his great bull's pizzle,

That supp'd up the broo', and sync in the piggin.-}-

• Bailey o' Haltwhistle—The Bailiff of Haltwhistle seems to have arrived

when the fray was over. This supporter of social order is treated witli cha racteristic irreverence by the moss- trooping poet. f An iron-pot with two ears. 244 MiNSTRnsv of

NOTE

THE DEATH OF FEATHERSTONHAUGH.

In explanation of this ancient ditty, Mr Surtces has fur-

nished mc with the following local memorandum : Willimotes-

wick, now more commonly called Ridley Hall, is situated at the confluence of the Allon and Tyne, and was the chief seat

of the ancient family of Ridley. Hardriding Dick is not an epithet referring to horsemanship, but means Richard Ridley of Hardriding, the seat of another family of that name, which,

in the time of Charles I., Avas sold on account of expences in- curred by the loyalty of the proprietor, the immediate ancestor of Sir Matthew Ridley. Will of the Wa' seems to be William

Ridley of WalltoAVTi, so called from its situation on the great Roman wall. Thirlwall castle, whence the clan of Thirlwalls

derived their name, is situated on the small river of Tippell,

near the western boundary of Northumberland. It is near

the wall, and takes its name from the rampart having been

thirled, i. e. pierced, or breached, in its vicinity. Featherston Castle lies south of the Tyne, towards Alston- j\Ioor. Albany —

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 245

Featherstonhaugh, the chief of that ancient family, made a figure in the reign of Edward VI. A feud did certainly exist between the Ridleys and Featherstones, productive of such consequences as the ballad narrates. 24 Oct. 22do Henrici 8vi Inquisitio capt. apud Haidwhistle, sup. visum corpus Alex- andri Featherston, Gen. apud Grensilhaugk, felonice interfecti, 21 Oct. per Nicolaum Ridley de Unthanke, Gen. Hugon Ridle Nicolaum Ridle et alios ejusdem nominis. Nor were the

Featherstones without their revenge ; for 36to Henrici 8vi,

we have Utlagatio Nicolai Featherston, ac Thome Nyxon, 3^c. pro hornicidio Willmi. Ridle dc Morale. —

24G MINSTRELSY OF

HOBBIE NOBLE.

We have seen the hero of this ballad act a distiriguish- ed part in the deliverance of Jock o' the Side^ and are now to learn the ungrateful return which the Amtistrongs made him for his faithful services.* Halbert, or Hobbie Noble, appears to have been one of those numerous Eng-

lish outlaws, who, being forced to fly their own country, had established themselves on the Scottish Borders. As Hobbie continued his depredations upon the English,

• The original editor of the Reliques of Ancient Poetry has rioticed

the perfidy of this clan in another instance ; the deUvery of the banished Earl of Northumberland into the hands of the Scottish regent, by Hector of Harelaw, an Armstrong, with whom he had taken refuge. —RcUques of Ancient Poetry, vol. L p. 283—This Hector of Hare- law seems to have been an Englishman, or under English assurance ; for he is one of those, against whom bills were exhibited by the Scottish commissioners, to the Lord Bishop of Carlisle Introduction to the History of Wastmoreland and Cumlcrland, p. 81. In the list of Borderers, 1597, Hector of Harelaw, with the Griefs and Cuts of Harelaw, also figures as an inhabitant of the Debateable Land. It —

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 247

they bribed some of his hosts, the Armstrongs, to decoy him into England, under pretence of a predatory expedition. He was there delivered, by his treacherous com-

panions, into the hands of the officers ofjustice, by whom he was conducted to Carlisle, and executed next morning. The Laird of Mangerton, with whom Hobbie was in

high favour, is said to have taken a severe revenge upon the traitors who betrayed him. The principal contri-

ver of the scheme, called here Sim o' the Maynes, fled into England from the resentment of his chief; but ex-

perienced there the common fate of a traitor, being himself executed at Carlisle, about two months after Hob-

bie's death. Such is, at least, the tradition of Liddes-

dale. Sim o' the Maynes appears among the Arm-

strongs of Whitauch, in Liddesdale, in the list of Clans

so often alluded to.

would appear, from a spirited invective in the Maitland MS. against the regent, and those who delivered up the unfortunate earl to Eliza- beth, that Hector had been guilty of this treachery, to redeem the pledge which had been exacted from him for his peaceable demeanour. The poet says, that the perfidy of Morton and Lochlevin was worse than even that of^

—the traitour Eckie of Harelaw,

That says he sould him to redeem his pledge ;

Your deed is war, as all the world does know You nothing can but covatice alledge.

Pinkertok's Maitland Poe7ns, vol. I. p. 290.

Eckie is the contraction of Hector among the vulgar.

These little memoranda may serve still farther to illustrate the beautiful ballads, upon that subject, published in the Reliqucs. 248 MINSTRELSY OF

Kershope-burn, where Hobbie met his treacherous companions, falls into the Liddel, from the English

side, at a place called Tumersholm, -where, according

to tradition, tourneys and games of chivalry were often Bolemnized. The Mains was anciently a Border-keep, near Castletoun, on the north side of the Liddel, but is now totally demolished.

Askerton is an old castle, now ruinous, situated in the wilds of Cumberland, about seventeen miles north-

east of Carlisle, amidst that mountainous and desolate

tract of country bordering upon Liddesdale, emphati- cally termed the Waste of Bewcastle. Conscoutliait Green, and Roderic-haugh, and the Foulbogshiel, are the names of places in the same wilds, through which the Scottish plunderers generally made their raids upon

England ; as appears from the following passage in a letter from William, Lord Dacre, to Cardinal Wolsey,

18th July, 1528 ; Appendix to Pinkerton's Scoilimd, v.

12, No. XIX. " Like it also your grace, seeing the " disordour within Scotlaund, that all the mysguyded " men. Borderers of the same, inhabiting within Esk-

" dale, Ewsdale, Walghopedale, Liddesdale, and a part " of Tividale, foranempt Bewcastelldale, and a part of <' the Middle Marches of this the King's Bordours,

" entres not this West and Middle Marches, to do any

*' attemptate to the King our said soveraine's subjects : " but thaye come thorow Bewcastelldale, and retornes,

'' for the most part, the same waye agayne." THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 249

Willeva and Speir Edora are small districts in Bew- castledale, through which also the Hartlie-burn takes ita course.

Of the castle of Mangertoun, so often mentioned in these ballads, there are very few vestiges. It was situated on the banks of the Liddell, below Casteltoun. In the wall of a neighbouring mill, which has been entirely built from the ruins of the tower, there is a remarkable stone, bearing the arms of the Lairds of Mangertoun, and a long broad-sword, with the figures 1583 ; probably the date of building, or repairing, the castle. On each side of the shield are the letters S. A. and E. E., standing probably for Symon Armstrong and Elizabeth Elliot.

Such is the only memorial of the Laird of Mangertoun, except those rude ballads, which the editor now offers to the public. 250 MINSTRELSY OF

HOBBIE NOBLE.

Foul fa' the breast first treason bred in !

That Liddesdale may safely say :

For in it there was baith meat and drink, And corn unto our geldings gay.

And we were a' stout-hearted men,

As England she might often say ;

But now we may turn our backs and flee.

Since brave Noble is sold away.

Now Hobbie was an English man.

And born into Bewcastle dale ; But his misdeeds they were so great. They banished him to Liddesdale. ;

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. S51

At Kershope foot the tryst was set,

Kershope of the lilye lee ;

And there was traitor Sim o"" the Mains, And with him a private companie.

Then Hobbie has graithed his body fair,

Baith wi' the iron and wi' the steil And he has ta'en out his fringed grey, And there, brave Hobbie, he rade him weel.

Then Hobbie is down the water gane,.

E'en as fast as he could hie ;

Tho' a* should hae bursten and broken their hearts, Frae that riding tryst he wad na be,

" Weel be ye met, my feres* five !

" And now, what is your will wi' me ?"

Then they cried a'*, wi"" ae consent,

" Thou'rt welcome here, brave Noble, to me.

" Wilt thou with us into England ride,

" And thy safe warrand we will be ? '' If we get a horse, worth a hundred pound,

" Upon his back thou sune sail be."

* Fcics—Companions. ; ;

252 MINSTRELSY OF

" I dare not by day into England ride

" The Land-Serjeant has me at feid :

" And I know not what evil may betide,

" For Peter of Whitfield, his brother, is dead.

" And Anton Shiel he loves not me, " For I gat twa drifts o"" his sheep ; " The great Earl of Whitfield loves mc not,

" For nae geer frae me he e''er could keep.

" But will ye stay till the day gae down, '• Untill the night come oVr the grund,

" And I'll be a guide worth ony twa " That may in Liddesdale be found ?

" Though the night be black as pick and taiv

" I'll guide ye o'er yon hill sae hie

" And bring yc a' in safety back,

" If ye'll be true, and follow me.""

He has guided them o'er moss and muir.

O'er hill and hope, and mony a down ; Until they came to the Foulbog^«hicl, And there, brave Noble, he lighted down, — ; ; ;

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 253

But word is gane to the Land-Serjeant, In Askerton where that he hiy " The deer, that ye hae hunted sae lang, " Is seen into the Waste this day."

" Then Hobbie Noble is that deer !

" I wat he carries the style fu"" hie " Aft has he driven our bluidhounds back,

" And set ourselves at little lee.

" Gar warn the bows of Hartlie burn " See they sharp their arrows on the wa' *' Warn Willeva and Speir Edom, " And see the morn they meet me a\

" Gar meet me on the Rodric-haugh, " And see it be by break o' day ; " And we will on to Conscouthart-grecn,

*' For there, I think, we''ll get our prey.'

Then Hobbie Noble has dreimit a dreim. In the Foulbogshiel, where that he lay He drciniit his horse was ancith him shot, And he himself got hard away. ; ;

i54> MINSTHELSY OF

The cocks could craw, the day could daw,

And I wot sae even fell down the rain

Had Hobbie na wakened at that time,

In the Foulbogshiel he had been ta'en or slain.

" Awake, awake, my feres five !

" I true here makes a fu' ill day

" Yet the worst cloak o' this company,

" I hope, shall cross the Waste this day.

Now Hobbie thought the gates were clear ;

Bat, ever alas ! it was na sae : They were beset by cruel men and keen. That away brave Hobbie might na gae.

" Yet follow me, my feres five, " And see ye keip of me guid ray ;

*' And the worst cloak o' this company

" Even yet may cross the Waste this day.""

But the Land- Serjeant's men came Hobbie before. The traitor Sim came Hobbie behin', So had Noble been wight as Wallace was.

Away, alas ! he might na win. ;;; !

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 251

Then Hobbie had but a laddie's sword ; But he did mail- than a laddie's deed For that sword had clear'd Conscouthart green,

Had it not broke o'er Jerswigham's head.

Then they hae ta'en brave Hobbie Noble, Wi's ain bowstring they band him sae

But his gentle heart was ne'er sae sair,

As when his ain five bound him on the brae.

They hae ta'en him on for west Carlisle

They ask'd him, if he kend the way ?

Tho' much he thought, yet little he said He knew the gate as weel as they.

They hae ta'en him up the Ricker-gate ;*

The wives they cast their windows wide ; And every wife to another can say,

" That's the man loosed Jock o' the Side

Fy on ye, women ! why ca' ye me man " For it's nae man that I'm used like ; I am but like a forfoughenf hound, " Has been fighting in a dirty syke."j

* A street in Carlisle. f Forfoiigfiai—Quite fatigued, + %/.c_Ditch. 256 MINSTRELSY OF

They hae had him up thro' Carlisle town,

And set him by the chimney fire ; They gave brave Noble a loaf to eat.

And that was little his desire.

They gave him a wheaten loaf to eat,

And after that a can of beer ;

And they a"* cried, w ith one consent, *' Eat, brave Noble, and make gude cheir.

*' Confess my lord's horse, Hobbie," they said, *' And to-moiTow in Carlisle thou's na die." " How can I confess them," Hobbie says,

*' "When I never saw them with my e'e ?"

Then Hobbie has sworn a fu' great aith, Bi the day that he was gotten and born,

He never had ony thing o' my lord''s. That either eat him grass or corn.

" ! . Now fare thee weel, sweet Mangerton

" For I think again I'll ne'er thee see :

" I wad hae betrayed nae lad alive,

" For a' the gowd o' Christen tie. ;

THE SCOTTISH BOTIDF.R. 2i

And fare thee wecl, sweet Liddesdale ! " Baith the hie land and the law

Keep ye weel frae the traitor Mains !

" For goud and gear he'll sell ye a\

Yet wad I rather be ca'd Hobbie Noble, " In Carlisle, where he suffers for his fauV, Than I'd be ca'd the traitor Mains,

" That eats and drinks o' the meal and maut. 258 MINSTRELSY OF

NOTES

HOBBIE NOBLE.

The great Earl of Whitfield loves me not.—V. 252. V. 2. Whitfield is explained by Mr Ellis of Otterbourne to be a large and rather wild manorial district in the extreme south- west part of Northumberland ; the proprietor of which might be naturally called the Lord, though not Earl of Whitfield. I suspect, however, that the reciters may have corrupted the great Ralph Whitfield into Earl of Whitfield. Sir Matthew Whitfield of Whitfield was Sheriff" of Northumberland in 14.33, and the estate continued in the family from the reign of Richard IL till about fifty years since.

Aft has he driven our bluidhounds back.—P. 253. v. 2.

" The russet bloodhound, wont, near Annand's stream, • To trace the sly thief with avenging foot,

*' Close as an evil conscience still at hand."

Our ancient statutes inform us, that the blood-hound, or sluith-hound (so called from its quality of tracing the slot, or track, of men and animals), was early used in the pursuit and —

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 259

detection of marauders. Nullus perturhet, aut impediat canem trassantem, aut homines trassantes cum ipso, ad seqaenduni latrones.—Regiam Majesiatem, Lib. itus. Cap. 32. And, so late as 1616, there was an order from the king's commissioners of the northern counties, that a certain number of slough- hounds should be maintained in every district of Cumberland, bordering upon Scotland. They were of great value, being sometimes sold for a hundred crowns. Exposition of Bleau's Atlas, voce Nithsdale. The breed of this sagacious animal, which could trace the hmnan footstep with the most unerring accuracy, is now nearly extinct. 260 MINSTRELSY OF

ROOKHOPE RYDE.

This is a bishoprick Border song, composed in iSGy, taken down from the chanting of George Collingwood

the elder, late of Boltsburn, in the neighbourhood of

Ryhope, who was intered at Stanhope, the ItJth De- cember, 1785.

Rookhope is the name of a valley about five miles in

length ; at the termination of which, Rookhope-burn

empties itself into the river Wear : the dale lies in the north part of the parish of Stanhope, in Weardale. Rook-

hope-head is the top of the vale. The ballad derives some

additional interest, from the date of the event being so precisely ascertained to be the 6th December, 1572, when the Tynedale robbers, taking advantage of the public confusion occasioned by the rebellion of West- moreland and Northumberland, and which particularly affected the bishoprick of Durham, determined to make

this foray into Weardale. The late eminent antiquary, THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 261

Joseph Ritsoiij took down this ballad from the mouth of the reciter, and printed it as part of an intended collection of Border Ballads, which was never published. His nephew, Mr Frank, was so good as to favour me with the copy from which it is here given. To the illustrations of Mr Ritson, I have been enabled to add those of my friend Mr Surtees. 262 JVIINSTRELSY OF

ROOKHOPE RYDE.

RooKHOPE stands in a pleasant place,

If the false thieves wad let it be,

But away they steal our goods apace.

And ever an ill death may they dee !

And so is the man of Thirlwall and Willie-haver,

And all their companies thereabout,

That is minded to do mischief, And at their stealing stands not out.

But yet we will not slander them all.

For there is of them good enough ;

It is a sore consumed tree

That on it bears not one fresh bough. ;

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 263

Lord God ! is not this a pitiful case,

That men dare not drive their goods to the fell, But limmer thieves drives them away.

That fears neither heaven nor hell ?

Lord, send us peace into the realm.

That evei-y man may live on his own !

I trust to God, if it be his will. That Weardale men may never be overthrown.

For great troubles theyVe had in hand.

With Borderers pricking hither and thither.

But the greatest fray that e'er they had. Was with the men of Thirlwall and Willie-haver.

They gathered together so royally.

The stoutest men and the best in gear : And he that rade not on a horse, I wat he rade on a weil-fed mear.

So in the morning, before they came out,

So weel I wot they broke their fast

In the forenoon they came unto a bye fell.

Where some of them did eat their last.*

* This would be about eleven o'clock, the usual dinner-hour in that period. ;

264 MINSTRELSY OF

When they had eaten aye and done, They say'd, some captains here needs must be Then they clioosed forth Harry Corbyl,

And ' Symon Fell,'' and Martin Ridley.

Then o'er the moss, where as they came, ^Vith many a brank and whew. One of them could to another say,

" I think this day we are men enew.

For Weardale-men have a journey ta'en,

" They are so far out o'er yon fell, That some of them''s with the two earls,

" And otliers fast in Bernard castell.

There we shall get gear enough,

" For there is nane but women at hame The sorrowful fend that they can make,

" Is loudly* cries as they were slain."

Then in at Rookhope-head they came,

And there they thought tul a' had their prey, But they were spy'd coming over the Dry-rig,

Soon upon Saint Nicolas' day.-f-

" This is still the phraseology of Westmoreland : a poorly man, softly day, and the hke. f The 6th of December. —; ;

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 265

Then in at Rookhope-head they came,

They ran the forest but a mile ; They gather'd together in four hours Six hundred sheep within a while.

And horses I trow they gat, But either ane or twa,

And they gat them all but ane That belanged to great Rowley.

That Rowley was the first man that did them spy,

With that he raised a mighty cry ;

The cry it came down Rookhope-burn, And spread through Weardale hasteyly.

Then word came to the bailif 's house At the East-gate, where he did dwell He was walk'd out to the Smale-burns, Which stands above the Hanging-well.*

His wife was wae when she heard tell. So well she wist her husband wanted gear

* A place in the neighbourhood of East-gate, known at present, as well as the Dry-rig, or Smale-burns ; being the property of Mr Robert Richardson, by inheritance, since before 1583. Ritson.

II 266 INIINSTRELSY OF

Slie gar\l saddle him his horse in haste, And neither forget sword, jack,* nor spear.

The baiUf got wit before his gear came, That such news was in the land. He was sore troubled in his heart. That on no earth that he could stand.

His brother was hurt three days before,

With Hmmer thieves that did him prick ; Nineteen bloody wounds lay him upon,

What ferly was't that he lay sick ?

But yet the bailif shrinked nought,

But fast after them he did hye.

And so (lid all his neighbours near, That went to bear him company.

But when the bailif was gathered.

And all his company. They were numbered to never a man

But forty under fifty.

* A jacket, or short coat, plated or instiched with small pieces of iron, and usually worn by the peasantry of the Border in their jour-

neys from place to place, as well as in their occasional skirmishes with the moss-troopers, who were most probably equipped with the same sort of harness.—Ritson. :

THE SCOTTISH BOllDER. 367

The thieves was numbered a hundred men,

I wat they were not of the worst That could be choosed out of Thirlwall and Willie-haverj

I trow they were the very first.*

But all that was in Rookhope-head,

And all that was i"" Nuketon-cleugh,

So sore they made them fain to flee,

As many was a' out of hand,

And, for tul have been at home again.

They would have been in iron bands.

And for the space of long seven years

As sore they mighten a' had their lives, But there was never one of them

That ever thought to have seen their wives.

About the time the fray began,

I trow it lasted but an hour.

Till many a man lay weaponless.

And was sore wounded in that stour.

* The reciter, from his advanced age, could not recollect the original line thus imperfectly supplied.^^RiTSOK. ;;

268 MINSTRELSY OF

Also before that hour was done.

Four of tlie thieves were slain,

Besides all those that wounded Avere,

And eleven prisoners there was ta''en.

George Carrick, and his brother Edie,

Them two, I wot, they were both slain ; Harry Corbyl, and Lennie Carrick,

Bore them company in their pain.

One of our Weardale-men was slain, Rowland Emerson his name hight

I trust to God his soul is well,

Because he fought unto the right.

But thus they say'd, " Well not depart

!" " While we have one : —Speed back again And when they came amongst the dead men.

There they found George Carrick slain.

And when they found George Carrick slain,

I wot it went well near their heart

Lord let them never make a better end.

That comes to play them sicken a part. ; ; ; :

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 269

I trust to God, no more they shall,

Except it be one for a great chance

For God will punish all those With a great heavy pestilence.

Thir limmer thieves, they have good hearts, They nevir think to be overthrown Three banners against Weardale-men they bare.

As if the world had been all their own.

Thir Weardale-men, they have good hearts.

They are as stiff' as any tree

For, if they'd every one been slain,

Never a foot back man would flee.

And such a storm amongst them fell. As I think you never heard the hke For he that bears his head so high,

He oft-times falls into the dyke.

And now I do entreat you all, As many as are present here.

To pray for the singer of this song,

For he sings to make blythe your cheer. : ;

270 MTNSTItET.SV OF

NOTES

ROOKHOPE RYDE,

And so is the man of Thirlwall and Willie-haver.^V. 262. v. 2. Thirwall, or Thirlitwall, is said by Fordun, the Scottish historian, to be a name given to the Picts' or Roman wall, from

its having been thirled, or perforated, in ancient times, by the Scots and Picts. Wyntown also, who most probably copied

Fordun, calls it Thirlwall. Thirlwall-castle, though in a very

ruinous condition, is still standing by the site of this famous wall, upon the river Tippal. It gave name to the ancient fa-

mily, De Thirlwall. Willie-haver, or Willeva, is a small dis-

trict or township in the parish of Lanercost, near Bewcastle- dalc, in Cumberland, mentioned in the preceding ballad of Hohhie Nohlr.

" Gar warn the bows of Hartlic-burn, See they sharp their arrows on the wa' Warn Willeva, and Spear Edom,

And see the morn they meet me a'."

That some of them's u'iih the two Earls.—V. 26 i. v. 3. The two Earls were Thomas Percy, Earl of Northumbcr- — ;

THE SCOTTISH BOllDEll. 271

land, and Charles Nevil, Earl of Westmoreland, who, on the 15th of November, 1569, at the head of their tenantry and others, took arms for the purpose of liberating Jlary, Queen of Scots, and restoring the old religion. They besieged Barnard- castle, which was, for eleven days, stoutly defended by Sir George Bowes, who, afterward, being appointed the Queen's marshal, hanged the poor constables and peasantry by dozens in a day, to the amount of 800. The Earl of Northumberland, betrayed by the Scots, with whom he had taken refuge, was

beheaded at York, on the 22d of August, 1572 ; and the Earl of Westmoreland, deprived of the ancient and noble patrimony of the Nevils, and reduced to beggary, escaped over sea, into Flanders, and died in misery and disgrace, being the last of his family. See two ballads on this subject, in Percy's Collec- tion, (I. 271, 281,) and consider whether they be genuine.— RlTSON.

At the East-gate, where he did dwell.—P. 2C5. v. 4..

Now a straggling village so called ; originally, it would seem, the gate-house, or ranger's lodge, at the east entrance of Stan- hope-park. At some distance from this place is West-gate, so called for a similar reason. Ritson.

" The mention of the bailiff's house at the East-gate is " (were such a proof wanting) strongly indicative of theauthen- '' ticity of the ballad. The family of Emerson of East-gath, a

" fief, if I may so call it, held under the bishop, long exercised " the office of bailiff of Wolsingham, the chief town and borough " of Weardale, and of Forster, &c., under successive prelates " and the present bishop's game keeper and ranger within ^Vear- " dale, may be said to claim his office by maternal descent, be- " ing Emerson Muschamp (another ancient name) and, though " somewhat shorn of his beams, the lineal heir of the old bai-

" liffs of Weardale. " Rob. Emerson Parcarius dc Stanhopp 13 Aug. 7 Rob. Ne- " vUl Epi. " Cuthb. Emerson dc Eastgat sub Forestar. Parci de Stan-

"hopp. 1 Wolsey. —

272 MINSTRELSY OF

" Lease of the East-gate to ]\Ir George Emerson for 30 years,

' 10/. p. ann. 4. Ed. C. Bp. Tunstall.

" Rob. Emerson de Eastgat. sede vacante p. depriv. Tunstall parcar. Dne Regine.

" Geo.et Ric. Emerson Ballivi de Wolsingham p. palens. 12 Sept 1616, sicut Geo. Rolli vel. Hollands Emerson olim te-

' mere." Surtees. THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 273

BARTHRAM'S DIRGE.

1 HE following beautiful fragment was taken down by Mr Surtees, from the recitation of Anne Douglas^ an old woman, who weeded in his garden. It is imperfect, and the words within brackets were inseited by my correspondent, to supply such stanzas as the chauntress's memory left defective. The hero of the ditty, if the reciter be correct, was shot to death by nine brothers, whose sister he had seduced, but was afterwards buried at her request, near their usual place of meeting ; which may account for his being laid, not in holy ground, but beside the burn. The name of Barthram, or Bertram,

Avould argue a Northumbrian origin, and there is, or was, a Headless Cross, among many so named, near Elsdon in Northumberland. But the mention of the Nine-Stane Burn, and Nine-Stane Rig, seems to refer to those places in the vicinity of Hermitage Castle,* which is counte-

* See the Ballad of Lord Soulib, in vol. HI. 2T4 MINSTRELSY OF nanced by the mentioning our Lady's Chapel. Perhaps the hero may have been an Englishman, and the lady a native of Scotland, which renders the catastrophe even more probable. The style of the ballad is rather Scot- tish than Northumbrian. They certainly did bury in former days near the Nine-Stane Burn ; for the editor remembers finding a small monumental cross, with ini- tials, lying among the heather. It was so small, that, with the assistance of another gentleman, he easily placed it upright. THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 275

BARTHRAM'S DIRGE.

They shot him dead at the Nine-Stone Rig, Beside the Headless Cross,

And they left him lying in his blood, Upon the moor and moss.

They made a bier of the broken bough, The sauch and the aspin gray. And they bore him to the Lady Chapel,

And waked him there all day.

VOL. I. s 276 MINSTRELSY OF

A lady came to that lonely bower. And threw her robes aside, She tore her ling [long] yellow hair,

And knelt at Barthram''s side.

She bath'd him in the Lady-Well His wounds so deep and sair, And she plaited a garland for his breast, And a garland for his hair.

They rowed him in a lily-sheet, And bare him to his earth, [And the Gray Friars sung the dead man's mass, As they pass'd the Chapel Garth.]

They buried him at [the mirk] midnight,

[When the dew fell cold and still, When the aspin gray forgot to play.

And the mist clung to the hill.]

They dug his grave but a bare foot deep. By the edge of the Ninestone Burn, And they covered him [o'er with the heather-flower j The moss and the [Lady] fern.

2 THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 277

A Gray Friar staid upon the grave,

And sang till the morning tide, And a friar shall sing for Barthram's soul. While the Headless Cross shall bide.*

" Mr Surtees observes, on this passage, that, in the return made by the commissioners, on the dissolution of Newminster Abbey, there is an item of a Chauntery, for one priest to sing daily, ad crucem lapideam; Probably many of these crosses had the like expiatory solemnities for persons slain there. —

278 ]MINSTEELSY OF

ARCHIE OF CA'FIELD..

It may perhaps be thought, that, from the near resem-

blance which this ballad bears to Kinmont Willie, and

Jock o' the Side, the editor might have dispensed with

inserting it in this collection. But, although the incidents in these three ballads are almost the same, yet

there is considerable variety in the language ; and each contains minute particulars, highly characteristic of Bor-

der manners, which it is the object of this publication to

illustrate. Ca'field, or Calfield, is a place in Wauchop-

dale, belonging of old to the Armstrongs. In the account betwixt the English and Scottish Marches, Jock and Geordie of Ca'field, there called Calf-hill, are repeatedly marked as delinquents. History of Westmorelayid

and Cumberland, vol. I. Introduction, p. S3. " Mettled " John Hall, from the laigh Tiviotdale," is perhaps John Hall of Newbigging, mentioned in the list of Border

clans, as one of the chief men of name residing on the THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 279

Middle Marches in 1597. The editor has been enabled to add several stanzas to this ballad, since publication of the first edition. They were obtained from recitation ; andj as they contrast the brutal indifference of the elder brother with the zeal and spirit of his associates, they add considerably to the dramatic effect of the whole. 280 MINSTKELSY OF

ARCHIE OF CA'FIELD.

As I was a walking mine alane,

It was by the dawning of tlie day,

I heard twa brithers make their mane,

And I hstened weel to what tliey did say.

The youngest to the eldest said,

" Blythc and merrie how can we be ? " There were three brithren of us born,

" And ane of us is condemned to die."

" An' ye wad be merrie, an' ye wad be sad,

" What the better wad billie Archie be ?

" Unless I had thirty men to mysell,

" And a"" to ride in my cinnpanic. THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 281

" Ten to hald the horses'* heads, " And other ten the watch to be, " And ten to break up the strong prison,

" Where billy Archie* he does lie."

Then up and spak him mettled John Hall; (The luve of Teviotdale aye was he) " An I had eleven men to mysell,

" It's aye the twalt man I wad be.''

Then up bespak him coarse Ca'field,

(I wot and little gude worth was he)

" Thirty men is few anew,

" And a' to ride in our cumpanie."

There was horsing, horsing in haste,

And there was marching on the lee ; Until they cam to Murray whate, And they lighted there right speedilic.

" A smith ! a smith V Dickie he cries, " A smith, a smith, right speedilie, " To turn back the caukers of our horses' slioon !

" For it's unkensome-f- we wad be."

* Billy—Brother. f Uitkcinomc—Unknown. ;

282 MINSTRELSY OF

" There lives a smith on the water side,

" Will shoe my little black mare for me " And IVe a crown in my pocket,

" And every groat of it I wad gie."^

" The night is mirk, and ifs very mirk, " And by candle-light I canna weel see ;

" The night is mirk, and it's very pit mirk,

" And there will never a nail ca' right for me.

" Shame fa'' you and your trade baith,

" Canna beet* a gude fellow by your mystery !-|-

" But leeze me on thee, my little black mare,

" Thou"'s worth thy weight in gold to me.""

There was horsing, horsing in haste.

And there was marching upon the lee Until they cam_to Dumfries port.

And they lighted there right spcedilie.

There's five of us will hold the horse, " And other five will watchmen be :

But wha's the man, amang ye a', " Will gae to the Tolbooth door wi' me ?"

• Bat— Abet, aid. f Mi/slcr>/—Trade—See Shakespeare. ;

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 283

O up then spak him mettled John Hall, (Frae the Laigh Tiviotdale was he)

" If it should cost my life this very night,

" 111 gae to the Tolbooth door wi** thee."

" Be of gude cheir, now, Archie, lad !

*' Be of gude cheir, now, dear billie ! " Work thou within, and we without,

" And the morn thou'se dine at Ca'field wi** me.""

O Jockie Hall stepp*'d to the door.

And he bended low back his knee ; And he made the bolts, the door hang on,

Loup frae the wa"* right wantonlie.

He took the prisoner on his back, And down the Tolbooth stair cam he The black mare stood ready at the door,

I wot a foot ne^er stirred she.

They laid the links out owre her neck, And that was her gold twist to be ;*

And they cam doun thro'' Dumfries toun,

And wow but they cam speedilie.

* The Gold Twist means the small gilded chains drawn across the chest of a war-horse, as a part of his caparison. ;

284 MINSTRELSY OF

The live Jang night these tAvelve men ratio,

And aye till they were right wearie, Until they came to the Murraywhate,

And they lighted there right speedilie.

" !" A smith ! a smith then Dickie he cries, " A smith, a smith, right speedilie,

" To file the irons frae my dear brither ! " For forward, forward we wad be."

They had na filed a shackle of iron, A shackle of iron but barely thrie. When out and spak young Simon brav(

" O dinna vc see what I do see ?

Lo ! yonder comes Lieutenant Gordon, " Wi' a hundred men in his cumpanie

This night will be our lyke-wakc night,

" The morn the day we a' maun die.'*"

O there was mounting, mounting in haste.

And there was marching upon the lee ; Until they cam to Annan water.

And it was flowing like the sea. ; ;

THE SCOTTISH EORDEll. 285

" My mare is young and very skeigh,*

" And in o' the weil-f- she will drown me

" But ye'll take mine, and Fll take thine,

" And sune through the water we sail be.'"

Then up and spak him, coarse Ca'field,

(I wot and little gude worth was he)

" We Jiad better lose ane than lose a' the lave " We'll lose the prisoner, we'll gae free,"

" Shame fa' you and your lands baith ! " Wad ye e'en J your lands to your born billy ? " But hey ! bear up, my bonnie black mare,

" And yet thro' the water we sail be."

Now they did swim that wan water.

And wow but they swam bonilie !

Until they cam to the other side, And they wrang their cloathes right drunkily.

" Come thro', come thro', Lieutenant Gordon ! " Come thro' and drink some wine wi' me !

" For there is an ale-house here hard by, '" And it shall not cost thee ae penny."

* Skeigh— Shy. t IVeil—Eddy. * E'en—Even, put into comparison. ib MINSTRELSY OF

" Throw me my irons,"" quo' Lieutenant Gordon : " I wot they cost me dear eneugh."" " The shame a ma,"" quo' mettled John Ha', " They'll be gude shackles to my pleugh."

" Come thro', come thro', Lieutenant Gordon ! " Come thro' and drink some wine wi' me ! " Yestreen I was your prisoner,

" But now this morning am I free." ; ;

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 287

ARMSTRONG'S GOODNIGHT.

Thefolhwing verses are said to have been composed by one of the Armstrongs, executedfor the murder ofSir John Car- mi chael ofEdrom, Warden of the Middle Marches. {See p. 172.) The tune is popular in Scotland; but whether these are the original ivords, will admit of a doubt.

This night is my departing night,

For here nae langer must I stay ;

There's neither friend nor foe o"* mine, But wishes me away.

What I have done thro' lack of wit,

I never, never can recall

I hope ye're a' my friends as yet

Goodnight and joy be with you all I 288 MINSTRELSY OF

THE FRAY OF SUPORT.

AN ANCIENT BORDER GATHERINC, SONG.

FROM TRADITION.

Of all the Border ditties, which have fallen into the editor's hands, this is by far the most uncouth and savage.

It is usually chaunted in a sort of wild recitative, except the burden, which swells into a long and varied howl, not unlike to a view hollo'. The words, and the very great irregularity of the stanza (if it deserves the name,) sufficiently point out its intention and origin. An Englisli woman, residing in Suport, near the foot of the Kers- hope, having been plundered in the night by a band of the Scottish moss-troopers, is supposed to convoke her servants and friends for the pursuit, or Hot Trod; up-

braiding them, at the same time, in homely phrase, for their negligence and security. The Hot Trod was followed by the persons who had lost goods, with blood- THE SCOTTISH BOllDEU. 289 hounds and horns, to raise the country to help. They also used to carry a burning wisp of straw at a spear head, and to raise a cry, similar to the Indian war- whoop. It appears, from articles made by the Wardens of the English Marches, September 12th, in 6th of Ed- ward VI. that all, on this cry being raised, were obliged to follow the fray, or chace, under pain of death. With these explanations, the general purport of the ballad may be easily discovered, though particular passages have become inexplicable, probably through corruptions introduced by reciters. The present copy is cor- rected from four copies, which differed widely from each other. ——

290 MINSTRELSY OV

THE FRAY OF SUPORT.

Sleep'ry Sim of the Lamb-hill,

And snoring Jock of Suport-mill,

Ye are baith right het and fou"" ; But my wae wakens na you. Last night I saw a sorry sight

Nought left me o' four-and-twenty gude ousen and ky. My weel-ridden gelding, and a white quey, But a toom byre and a wide,

And the twelve nogs * on ilka side.

Fy lads ! shout a' a' a' a' a',

My gear''s a' gane.

Weel may ye ken.

Last night I was right scarce o' men ;

* A^o^y—Stakes. ; :

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 291

But Toppet Hob o"" the Mains had guesten''d in my house by chance

I set him to wear the fore-door wi** the speir, while I kept

the back door wi' the lance ;

But they hae run him thro' the thick o"' the thie, and broke

his knee-pan.

And the mergh* o"" his shin-bane has run down on his spur leather whang

He's lame while he lives, and where'er he may gang.

Fy lads ! shout a' a' a' a' a\

My gear's a' gane.

But Peenyc, my gude son, is out at the Hagbut-head,

His e'en glittering for anger like a fiery gleed ; Crying—" Mak sure the nooks

*' Of Maky's-muir crooks ; " For the wily Scot takes by nooks, hooks, and crooks.

" Gin we meet a' together in a head the morn, " We'll be merry men."

Fy lads ! shout a' a' a' a' a',

My gear's a' gane.

There's doughty Cuddy in the Heugh-head,

Thou was aye gude at a need :

* Mfrgh—Marrow.

VOL. I. T :

292 MINSTRELSY OF

With t.liy brock-skin bag at thy belt,

Aye ready to mak a puir man help. Thou maun awa' out to the cauf-craigs,

(Where anes ye lost your ain twa naigs) And there toom thy brock-skin bag.

Fy lads ! shout a"" a' a' a'' a',

My gear's a' ta'en.

Doughty Dan o' the Houlet Hirst,

Thou was aye gude at a birst

Gude wi' a bow, and better wi"" a speir,

The bauldest March-man that e'er followed gear ; Come thou here.

Fy lads ! shout a' a' a' a' a',

My gear's a' gane.

Rise, ye carle coopers, frae making o' kirns and tubs,

In tlie Nicol forest woods.

Your craft has na left the value of an oak rod,

But if you had ony fear o' God, Last night ye had na slept sae sound.

And let my gear be a' ta'en.

Fy lads ! shout a' a' a' a' a,'

My gear's a' ta'en. ; ; ; ! ;

THE SCOTTISH BORDEU. 293

Ah ! lads, well fang them a' in a net

For I hae a' the fords o' Liddel set The Dunkin and the Door-loup,

The Wilhe-ford, and the Water slack, The Black-raek and the Trout-dub of Liddel

There stands John Forster wi"' five men at his back,

Wi' bufft coat and cap of steil

Boo ! ca"* at them e''en, Jock ;

That ford's sicker, I wat weil.

Fy lads ! shout a' a' a' a"" a.

My gear's a' ta'en.

Hoo ! hoo ! gar raise the Reid Souter, and Rlngan's Wat,

Wi' a broad elshin and a Avicker

I wat weil they'll mak a ford sicker. Sae whether they be EUiots or Armstrangs, Or rough riding Scots, or rude Johnstones, Or whether they be frae the Tarras or Ewsdale,

They maun turn and fight, or try the deeps o' Liddel.

Fy lads ! shout a' a' a' a' a',

My gear's a' ta'en.

" Ah ! but they will play ye another jigg,

" For they will out at the big rig, : ; :

294 MINSTRELSY OF

" And thro' at Fargy Grame's gap/"

But I hae another wile for that

For I hae little Will, and Stalwart Wat, And lang Aicky, in the Souter Moor,

Wi' his sleuth dog sits in his watch right sure

Shou'd the dog gie a bark.

He'll be out in his sark, And die or won.

Fy lads ! shout a"" a' a' a** a\

My gear's a' ta'en.

Ha ! boys— I see a party appearing—wha's yon ?

Methinks it's the Captain of Bewcastle, and Jephtha's John, Coming down by the foul steps of Catlowdie's loan

They'll make a sicker, come Avhich way they will.

Ha lads I shout a' a' a' a' a',

My gear's a" ta'en

Captain Musgrave, and a' his band,

Are coming down by the Siller-strand,

And the Muckle toun-bell o' Carlisle is rung :

My gear was a' weel won.

And before it's carried o'er the Border, mony a man's gae down.

Fy lads I shout a' a' a' a' a'.

My gear's a' gane. —

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 295

NOTES

ON THE FRAY OF SUPORT

And tliere loom thy brock-skin hag.—P. 292. v, 1. The badger-skin pouch was used for carrying ammunition.

In the Nicolforest woods.—P. 292. v. 3. A wood in Cumberland, in which Suport is situated.

For I hue a the fords o' Liddel set.—P. 293. v. 1. Watching fords was a ready mode of intercepting the marauders ; the names of the most noted fords upon the Liddel are recited in this -^erse.

And thro' at Fargy Grame's gap.—P. 294. v. I. Fergus Grame of Sowport, as one of the chief men of that clan, became security to Lord Scroope for the good behaviour of his friends and dependants, 8th January, 1662. Introduc- tion to History of Westmoreland and Cumberland, p. 111.

Wi' his sleuth dog sits on his watch right sure,—P. 294. v. 1. The centinels, who, by the March laws, were planted upon the Border each night, had usually sleuth-dogs, or blood- :

296 MINSTKELSY OF hounds, along with them.—See Nicholson's Border Laws, and iorf/ Wharton's Regulations, in the 6th of Edward VI. Of the blood-hound we have said something in the notes on Hobble Noble ; but we may, in addition, refer to the following poetical description of the qualities and uses of that singular animal

—~— Upon the banks Of Tweed, slow winding thro' the vale, the seat Of war and rapine once, ere Britons knew The sweets of peace, or Anna's dread commands To lasting leagues the haughty rivals awed,

There dwelt a pilfering race ; well train 'd and skill'd

In all the mysteries of theft, the spoil Their only substance, feuds and war their sport. Not more expert in every fraudful art

The arch felon was of old, who by the tail

Drew back his lowing prize : in vain his wiles, In vain the shelter of the covering rock, In vain the sooty cloud and ruddy flames.

That issued from his mouth ; for soon he paid

His forfeit life : a debt how justly due

To wrong'd Alcides, and avenging Heaven !

Veil'd in the shades of night they ford the stream ; Then, prowling, far and near, whate'er they seize

Becomes their prey ; nor flocks nor herds are safe,

Nor stalls protect the steer, nor strong-barr'd doors Secure the favourite horse. Soon as the morn Reveals his wrongs, with ghastly visage wan

The plunder'd owner stands, and from his lips A thousand thronging curses burst their way.

He calls his stout allies, and in a line

His faithful hounds he leads ; then, with a voice That utters loud his rage, attentive cheers.

Soon the sagacious brute, his curling tail

Flourish'd in air, low bending, plies around His busy nose, the steaming vapour snuffs

Inquisitive, nor leaves one turf untried ; THK SCOTTISH BORDEU. 297

Till, conscious of the recent stains, his heart

Beats quick, his snuffling nose, his active tail,

Attest his joy ; then, with deep-opening mouth That makes the welkin tremble, he proclaims

The audacious felon ! foot by foot he marks

His winding way, while all the listening crowd Applaud his reasonings. O'er the watery ford,

Dry sandy heaths and stony barren hills, O'er beaten tracks, with men and beast distain'd.

Unerring he pursues ; till, at the cot Arrived, and sei?ing by his guilty throat

The caitiff vile, redeems the captive prey :

So exquisitely delicate his sense ! Somekville's Chase.

Methinks it's the Captain of Bewcastle, &;c. Coming doum by the foul steps of Catlowdie's loan.—P. 294. v. 2. According to the late Glenriddell's notes on this ballad, the

office of Captain of Bewcastle was held by the chief of the Nixons.

Catlowdie is a small village in Cumberlandj near the junction of the Esk and Liddel.

Captain Musgrave and a' his hand.—P. 294. v. 3. This was probably the famous Captain Jack Musgrave, who had charge of the watch along the Cryssop, or Kershope, as appears from the order of the watches appointed by Lord Whar- ton, when deputy-warden-general, in the 6th Edward VI. 298 MINSTRELSY OF

LORD MAXWELL'S GOODNIGHT.

NEVER BEFORE PUBLISHED.

1 HIS beautiful ballad is published from a copy in Glen- riddell's MSS., with some slight variations from tradi-

tion. It alludes to one of the most remarkable feuds upon the West Marches.

A. D. 1585, John, Lord Maxwell, or, as he styled himself. Earl of Morton, having quarrelled with the Earl

of Arran, reigning favourite of James VI., and fallen, of course, under the displeasure of the court, was denounced rebel. A commission was also given to the Laird of Johnstone, then warden of the West Marches, to pursue and apprehend the ancient rival and enemy of his house. Two bands of mercenaries, commanded by Captains Cranstoun and Lammie, who were sent from Edinburgh

to support Johnstone, were attacked and cut to pieces at

Crawford-muir, by Robert Maxwell, natural brother to — —

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 299 the chieftain ;* who, following up his advantage, burned Johnstone's castle of Lochwood, observing, with savage glee, that he would give Lady Johnstonelight enough by which to ''set her hood." In a subsequent conflict, John- stone himself was defeated, and made prisoner, and is said to have died of grief at the disgrace which he sustained.—See Spottiswoode and Johnstone's Histo-

ries, and Moyse's Memoirs, ad annum, 1585. By one of the revolutions, common in those days, Maxwell was soon after restored to the King's favour in his turn, and obtained the wardenryof theWest Marches. A bond of alliance was subscribed by him, and by Sir James Johnstone, and for some time the two clans lived in harmony. In the year 1593, however, the hereditary

feud was revived, on the following occasion : A band of marauders, of the clan Johnstone, drove a prey of cattle

from the lands belonging to the Lairds of Crichton, San-

quhar, and Drumlanrig ; and defeated, with slaughter, the pursuers, who attempted to rescue their property,

[^See thefollowing ballad and Introduction.'} The injured parties, being apprehensive that Maxwell would not cordially embrace their cause, on account of his late re-

* It is devoutedly to be wished, that this Lammie (who was killed in the skirmish) may have been the same miscreant, who, in the day of Queen Mary's distress, " hes ensigne being of quhyt taffitae, had

" painted one it ye cruell murther of King Henry, and layed down " before her Majestie, at quhat time she presented herself as prisoner

•' to ye lordis.'' Birrel's Diary, June 15, 1567. It would be some

satisfaction to know, that the grey hairs of this worthy personage did not go down to the grave in peace. 300 MINSTRELSY OF

conciliation with the Johnstones, endeavoured to over-

come his reluctance, by offering to enter into bonds of

manrent, and so to become his followers and liegemen ; he, on the other hand, granting to them a bond of maintenance, or protection, by which he bound himself, in

usual form, to maintain their quarrel against all mortals, saving his loyalty. Thus, the most powerful and respect-

able families in Dumfries-shire, became, for a time, the

vassals of Lord Maxwell. This secret alliance was discovered to Sir James Johnstone by the Laird of Cum- mertrees, one of his own clan, though a retainer to Max-

well. Cummertrees even contrived to possess himself of

the bonds of manrent, which he delivered to his chief

The petty warfare betwixt the rival barons was instantly renewed. Buccleuch, a near relation of Johnstone, came to his assistance with his clan, " the most renowned free- " hooters (says a historian,) the fiercest and bravest war- " riors among the Border tribes." * With Buccleuch also came the Elliots, Armstrongs, and Graemes. Thus reinforced, Johnstone surprised and cut to pieces a party of the Maxwells, stationed at Lochmaben. On the other hand. Lord Maxwell, armed with the royal authority, and numbering among his followers all the barons of Nithesdale, displayedhisbanner as the King's lieutenant, and invaded Annandale at the head of 2000 men. In

* Inter accolan latrodnus famosos Scotos Buccleiichi clkntct—for- tissimos tribulium et fcrodtsimos.—J OHi^STOVl Hisforin, Ed. Am- iicel. p. 182. THE SC(JTTISH BOKDEIJ. 301 those days, however^ the royal auspices seem to have carried as little good fortune as effective strength with them. A desperate conflict, still renowned in tradition, took place at the Dryffe sands, not far from Lockerby, in which Johnstone, although inferior in numbers, partly by his own conduct, partly by the valour of his allies, gained a decisive victory. Lord Maxwell, a tall man, and heavily armed, was struckfrom his horse in theflight, and cruelly slain, after the hand, which he stretched out for quarter, had been severed from his body. Many of his followers Avere slain in the battle, and many cruelly wounded, especially by slashes in the face, which wound was thence tex'med a " Lockerby lick." The Bax'ons of

Lag, Closeburn, and Drumlanrig, escaped by the fleet- ness of their horses ; a circumstance alluded to in the following ballad.

This fatal battle was followed by a long feud, attended with all the circumstances of horror, proper to a barbarous age. Johnstone, in his diffuse manner, describes it thus : " Ab eo die ultro citroque in Aiinandia et Nithia

" magnis utriusque regionis jaciuris certatum. Ccedes, in-

" cendia, rapinoe, et nefandajacinora ; liberi in rnaternis

" gremiis trucidati ; mariti in conspectu conjugum sua-

" rum ; incensoB villce lamentabiles ubique querimonice et " horribiles armorum fremitus."—Johnstoni Historia,

Ed. AmstceL p. 182. John, Lord Maxwell, with whose Goodnight the reader is here presented, was son to him who fell at the battle —

302 MlNSTllELSY OF

of Dryffe Sands, and is said to have early avowed the deepest revenge for his father's death. Such, indeed, was the fiery and untameable spirit of the man, that neither the threats nor entreaties of the King himself could make him lay aside his vindictive purpose ; although Johnstone, the object of his resentment, had not only reconciled himself to the court, but even obtained the wardenry of the Middle Marches, in room of Sir John Carmichael, murdered by the Armstrongs. Lord Max- well was therefore prohibited to approach the Border counties ; and having, in contempt of that mandate, excited new disturbances, he was confined in the castle of Edinburgh. From this fortress, however, he contrived to make his escape ; and, having repaired to Dumfries-

shire, he sought an amicable interview with Johnstone, under pretence of a wish to accommodate their differ- ences. Sir Robert Maxwell, of Orchardstane (mention-

ed in the Ballad, verse 1.,) who was married to a sister of Sir James Johnstone, persuaded his brother-in-law to accede to Maxwell's proposal. The following relation

of what followed is taken from an article in Shawfield's MS., mentioned in the introduction to the ballad called

Kinmont Willie : "^ The simple treuth and cause of the treasonable mur- " ther of uraquhile Sir James Johnstoun of Dunskellie, " knight, was as efter foUowes. To wit, John Lord Max- " well having dealt and useit his best means with some " nobilemen and barrones within the cuntrey, and like- ;

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 303

" wayes with sundrieofthe name of Maxwell, being re-

" fuised of them all to be partakers of so foull ane deed

'« till at last he unhappily persuaded one Charles Max-

" well, one of the brether of Kirkhouse, to be with him, " and having made him assuired to be pairtner in that

" treasonable plott : therefore, taking advantage of the " weakness and unabilitie of umquhill Sir Robert Max- ' well of Orchyardtoun, knight, presuming that he had " power of the said Sir James, bemg Drether-in-law to

" uthers, to bring him to anye part he pleased ; Max- " well pretending he had speciall business to doe with " Sir James, hearing he was going from the court of ** England, so gave out by reasoun he was the king's re-

" bell for the time, for breaking waird out of the castle " of Edinburgh, that he had no other houpes to obtaine

" the Kling's favour but be his meanes. So upon this pre- " tence, the said Sir James was moved to meet with him " at Auchnamhill, near by Arthorstane, without the " house of Bent, upon the 6th of Aprile I6O8, with one " man onlie with him as was with the uther, therselves " two onlie and the forsaid Sir Robert Maxwell with

" them, and their servants being a little off. The for-

" said Charles falls out with opprobrious and malicious " speeches to Sir James his servant, William Johnstoune " of Gunmenlie, and before he was aware shott him " with ane pistoll. Sir James hearing the shott and his

" man's words, turning about to see what was past, im- " mediatlie Maxwell shott him behind his back with ane —

304 MINSTIlEISy OF

" pistoll chairgit with two poysonit bullets, at which

" shott the said Sir James fell from his horse. Maxwell " not being content therewith, raid about him ane lang " tyme, and persued him farder, vowing to use him more " cruelly and treacherouslie then he had done, for which

" it is known sufficiently what followed." '' A fact,"

saith Spottiswoode, " detested by all honest men, and

'^ the gentleman's misfortune severely lamented, for he

" was a man full of wisdom and courage." Spottis- woode, Edition 1677, pages 467, 504. Johnstoni His- toria, Ed. Amskcl pp. 254, 283, 449. Lord Maxwell, the murderer, made his escape to

France ; but, having ventured to return to Scotland, he was apprehended lurking in the wilds of Caithness, and

brought to trial at Edinburgh. The royal authority was now much strengthened by the union of the crowns, and

James employed it in staunching the feuds of the nobi-

lity, with a firmness which was no attribute of his general character. But in the best actions of that monarch, there seems to have been an unfortunate tincture of that meanness, so visible on the present occasion. Lord Max.

Avell was indicted for the murder of Johnstone; but this

was combined with a charge o?^fire-raisins, which, ac-

cording to the ancient Scottish law, if perpetrated by a landed man, constituted a species of treason, and inferred forfeiture. Thus the noble purpose of public justice was

.sullied by being united with that of enriching some needy

favourite. Jolm, Lord Maxwell , was condemned, and be- —

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 305

headed, 21st May, \6l3. Sir Gideon Murray treasu-

rer-depute, had a great share of his forfeiture ; but the attainder was afterwards reversed, and the honours and estate was conferred upon the brother of the deceased.

Laing's History of Scotland, vol. I. p. 62. Johnstoni

Historia, p. 493.

The lady, mentioned in the ballad, was sister to the Marquis of Hamilton, and, according to Johnstone the historian, had little reason to regret being separated from her husband, whose harsh treatment finally occasioned her death. But Johnstone appears not to be altogether untinctured with the prejudices of his clan, and is probably, in this instance, guilty of exaggeration ; as the active share, taken by the Marquis of Hamilton in favour of Maxwell, is a circumstance inconsistent with such a report.

Thus was finally ended, by a salutary example of severity, the " foul debate" betwixt the Maxwells and Johnstones, in the course of which each family lost two chieftains ; one dying of a broken heart, one in the field of battle, one by assassination, and one by the sword of the executioner.

It seems reasonable to believe, that the following ballad must have been written before the death of Lord Maxwell, in l6l3; otherwise there would have been some allusion to that event. It must therefore have been composed betwixt l608 and that period. 306 iMINSrRKI.SY OF

LORD MAXWELL'S GOODNIGHT

"Adieu, madame, my mother dear,

" But and my sisters three !

" Adieu, fair Robert of Orchardstane !

" My heart is wae for thee. " Adieu, the hly and the rose,

*' The primrose fair to see ;

" Adieu, my ladye, and only joy !

" For I may not stay with thee.

" Though I hae slain the Lord Johnstone,

" What care I for their feid ? " My noble mind their wrath disdains : " He was my father's deid. " Both night and day I laboured oft " Of him avenged to be ; " But now I've got what lang I sought, " And I may not stay with thee.

1 ; —;

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 307

" Adieu ! Drumlanrig, false wert aye, " And Closeburn in a band ! " The Laird of Lag, frae my fatlier that Had, " When the Johnston struck afF his hand. '' They were three brethren in a band

" Joy may they never see !

" Their treacherous art, and cowardly lieart, " Has twin'd my love and me.

" Adieu ! Dumfries, my proper place, " But and Carlaverock fair !

" Adieu ! my castle of the Thrieve,

" Wi' a' my buildings thei'e :

" Adieu ! Lochmaben's gates sae fair, " The Langholm-holm, where bii'ks there be ;

" Adieu ! my ladye, and only joy,

" For, trust me, I may not stay vd"' thee.

" Adieu ! fair Eskdale up and down, " Where my puir friends do dwell " The bangisters* will ding them down, *' And will them sair compell.

" But I'll avenge their feid mysell,

" When I come o"'er the sea

" Adieu ! my ladye, and only joy, " For I may not stay wi' thee."

* Bangisters—The prevailing party, vol.. I. U —;: —

308 MINSTRELSY OF

" Lord of the land !"—that ladye said, " O wad ye go wi' me, " Unto my brother''s stately tower, " Where safest ye may be ! " There Hamiltons, and Douglas baith,

" Shall rise to succour thee." " Thanks for thy kindness, fair my dame,

" But I may not stay wx' thee.*"

Then he tuik aff a gay gold ring,

Thereat hang signets three ; " Ilae, tak(

" And still hac mind o'' me

" But, if thou take another lord,

" Ere I come ower the sea

" His life is but a three days' lease, " Tho' I may not stay wi' thee."

The wind was fair, the ship was clear, That good lord went away And most part of his friends were there, To give him a fair convey. They di-ank the wine, they did na spair. Even in that gude lord's sight Sae now he's o'er the floods sae gray. And Lord Maxwell has ta'en his Goodnight, ;

THE SCOTTISH BOHDF.R. 309

NOTES

ON LORD MAXWELL'S GOODNIGHT.

Adieu! Drumlanrig, &^c.—P. 307. v. 1. The reader will perceive, from the Introduction, what connection the bond, subscribed by Douglas of Drumlanrig, Kirk- patrick of Closeburn, and Grierson of Lagg, had with the death of Lord Maxwell's father. For the satisfaction of those who may be curious as to the form of these bonds, I have transcribed a letter of manrent,* from a MS. collection of upwards of twenty deeds of that nature, copied from the origi- nals by the late John Syme, Esq. writer to the signet ; for the use of which, with many other favours of a similar nature, I am indebted to Dr Robert Anderson of Edinburgh. The bond is granted by Thomas Kirkpatrick of Closeburn, to Robert, Lord Maxwell, father of him who was slain at the battle of the Dryffe Sands.

" The proper spelling is manrrd. ThiiSi in the romance of Fhrkc id Blauchcjlour—'

" He wil falle to thi fot, " And bicom thi man gif he mot " His manred thou schalt afonge, " And the trewthe of his honde." 310 ' MIXST«F,T-SV OF

BOND OF MANRENT.

'' Be it kend till all men bo thir present lettres, me Thomas " Kirkpatrick of Closburn, to be bundin and oblist, and be the " tenor heirof, bindis and oblissis me be the faith and treuth " of my body, in manrcnt and service to anc nobil and mychty " lord, Robert Lord Maxwell, induring all the dayis of my

" lyfe ; and byndis and oblissis me, as said is, to be leill and " trew man and servant to the said Robert Lord Maxwell, my " master, and sail nowthir heir nor se his skaith, but sail lat " the samyn at my utcr power, an warn him therof. And I

" sail conceill it that the said lord schawis to me, and sail gif " him agane the best leill and trew counsale that I can, quhen

" he ony askis at me ; and that I sail ryde with my kin, frcyndis, " servandis, and allies, that wil do for mc, or to gang v/itli the

" said lord ; and to do him a;fauld, trew, and thankful service, " and take tefauld playne part with the said lord, my maister, " in all and sindry his actionis, causis, quarrellis, leful and " honest, movit, or to be movit be him, or aganis him, baiih " in peace and weir, contrair or aganis all thae that leifFes or " de may (ray allegeant to o^vt soveran ladye the quenis grace, " her tutor and governor, allanerly except.) And thir my " lettres of manrent, for all the dayis of my life foresaid to

" indure, all dissimulations, fraud, or gyle, secludit and away " put. In witness," &c. The deed is signed at Edinburgh, 3d February, 154.2. In the collection, from which this extract is made, there are bonds of a similar nature granted to Lord ^Maxwell, by Douglas

of Drumlanrig, ancestor to the Duke of Queensberry ; by Crichton Lord Sanquhar, ancestor of the Earls of Dumfries,

and many of his kindred ; by Stuart of Castlerailk ; by Stuart

of Garhes, ancestor of the Earls of Galloway ; by JMurray of

Cockpool, ancestor of the Murrays, Lords Annandale ; by Grierson of Lagg, Gordon of Lochmaben, and many other of the most ancient and respectable barons in the south-west of Scotland, binding themselves, in the most submissive terms, to ;

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 311 become the liegemen and the vassals of the house of Maxwell a circumstance which must highly excite our idea of the power of that family. Nay, even the rival chieftain, Johnstone of Johnstone, seems at one time to have come under a similar obhgation to Maxwell, by a bond, dated 11th February, 1528, in which reference is made to the counter-obUgation of the patron, in these words : " Forasmeikle as the said lord has oblist " him to supple, maintene, and defend me, in the peciabill " brouking and joysing of all my landis, rentis, &c., and to take "my aefald, Icill and trew part, in all my good actionis, causis, " and queries, leiful and honest, aganes all deedhe, his alled- " geance to our soveraigne lord the king allanerly exceptetl, " as at mair length is contained in his lettres of maintenance

" maid to me therupon ; therefore, &c." he proceeds to bind himself as liegeman to the IMaxwell.

I cannot dismiss the subject without observing, that, in the dangerous times of Queen JMary, when most of these bonds are dated, many barons, for the sake of maintaining unanimity and good order, may have chosen to enroll themselves among the clients of Lord Maxwell, then warden of the Border, from which, at a less turbulent period, personal considerations woidd have deterred them.

Adieu! my castle of the Thrieve.—P. 307. v. 2. This fortress is situated in the stewartry of Kirkcudbright, upon an island several acres in extent, formed by the river Dee. The walls are very thick and strong, and bear the marks

of great antiquity. It was a royal castle ; but the keeping of

it, agreeable to the feudal practice, was granted by charter, or sometimes by a more temporary and precarious right, to different powerful families, together with lands for their good service in maintaining and defending the place. This office of heritable keeper remained with the Nithesdale family (chief of

the Maxwells) till their forfeiture, 1715. The garrison seems

to have been victualled upon feudal principles ; for each parish in the stewartry was burdened with the yearly payment of a

lardncr mart cow, i. c. a cow fit for being killed and salted at —

312 MINSTRELSY OF

Martinmas, for winter provisions. The right of levying these cattle was retained by the Nithesdale family, when they sold the castle and estate, in 1704, and they did not cease to exercise it tiU their attainder. Fountainhall's Decisions^ vol. I. p. 688, This same castle of the Thrieve was, A.D. 1451-2, the scene of an outrageous and cruel insult upon the royal authority. The fortress was then held by William VIII. Earl of Douglas, who, in fact, possessed a more unlimited authority over the southern districts of Scotland, than the reigning monarch. The Earl had, on some pretence, seized and imprisoned a baron, called IMaclellan, tutor of Bombie, whom he threatened to bring to trial, by his power of hereditary juristliction. The uncle of this gentleman. Sir Patrick Gray of Foulis, who commanded the body-guard of James II., obtained from that prince a warrant, requiring from Earl Douglas the body of the prisoner. When Gray appeared, the earl instantly suspected his errand. " You have not dined," said he, without suffering

him to open his commission : " it is ill talking between a full man and a fasting." While Gray was at meat, the unfortunate prisoner was, by Douglas's command, led forth to the court-yard and beheaded. When the repast was finished, the King's letter was presented and opened. " Sir Patrick," says

Douglas, leading Gray to the court, " right glad had I been

" to honour the King's messenger ; but you have come too late. " Yonder lies your sister's son, without the head : you are " welcome to his dead body." Gray, having mounted his horse, turned to the Earl, and expressed his wrath in a deadly oath, that he would requite the injury with Douglas's heart's blood. — !" " To horse cried the haughty baron ; and the messenger of his prince was pursued till within a few miles of Edinburgh.

Gray, however, had an opportunity of keeping his vow ; for, being upon guard in the King's anti-chamber at Stirling, when James, incensed at the insolence of the Earl, struck him with his dagger, Sir Patrick rushed in, and dispatched him with a pole-axe. The castle of Thrieve was the last of the fortresses which held out for the house of Douglas, after their grand re- THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 313

bellion in 1553. James II. writeg an account of the exile of

this potent family, to Charles VII. of France, 8th July, 1555 ; and adds, that all their castles had been yielded to him, " Ex- " cepto duntaxat castro de Trefe, per nostrasJideles iviprwscn-

" tiarum obsesso ; quod domino concedente in brevi obiinere " speramus."—Pinkerton's History, Appendix, vol. I. p. 486. —See Pitscottie's History, Godscroft, &c.

And most part of his friends were there.—P. 308. v. 3. The ancestor of the present Mr Maxwell of Broomholm is particularly mentioned in Glenriddel's MS. as having attended his chieftain in his distress, and as having received a grant of lands, in reward of this manifestation of attachment.

Sae now he's o'er thefloods sue ffJ'ey.—P. 308. v. 3. This seems to have been a favourite epithet in old romances. Thus in Hornchilde, and Maiden Rimuild,

Thai sayled ower the Jlodc so grai/,

In Iriglonil arrived were tliay, Ther him levest ware. 314 MINSTllELSY OF

THE LADS OF WAMPHRAY.

The reader will find, prefixed to the foregoing ballad, an account of the noted feud betwixt the families ofMaxwell and Johnstone. The following song celebrates the skirmish, in 1593, betwixt the Johnstones and Crichtons, which led to the revival of the ancient quarrel betwixt

Johnstone and Maxwell, and finally to the battle of Dry ffe

Sands, in which the latter lost his life. Waraphray is the name of a parish in Annandale. Lethenhall was the abode

of Johnstone of Wamphray, and continued to be so till of

late years. William Johnstone of Wamphray, called the GaUiard, was a noted freebooter. A place, near the head of Tiviotdale, retains the name of the Gallia id's Faiilds,

(folds,) being a valley where he used to secrete and divide

his spoil, with his Liddesdale and Eskdale associates. His nom de guerre seems to have been derived from the dance

called The Galliard. The word is still used in Scotland, :

THE SCOTTISH BOKDEK. 315

to expi'ess an active, gay, dissipated character.* Willie of the Kirkhill, nephew to theGalliard, and his avenger, was also a noted Border robber. Previous to the battle of DryfFe Sands, so often mentioned, tradition reports, that Maxwell had offered a ten-pound-land to any of his party, who should bring him the head or hand of the Laird of Johnstone. This being reported to his antagonist, he answered, he had not a ten-pound-land to offer, but would give a five-merk-land to the man who should that day cut off the head or hand of Lord Max- well. Willie of the Kirkhill, mounted upon a young grey horse, rushed upon the enemy, and earned the reward, by striking down their unfortunate chieftain, and

cutting off his right hand.

Leverhay, Stefenbiggin, Girth-head, &c. are all situated in the parish of Wamphray. The Biddes-burn, where the skirmish took place betwixt the Johnstones

and their pursuers, is a rivulet which takes its course among the mountains on the confines of Nithesdale and

Annandale. The Wellpath is a pass by which the John- stones were retreating to their fastnesses in Annandale.

llicklaw-holm is a place upon the Evan water, which

* Cleveland applies the phrase in a very different manner, in treating of the assembly of Divines at Westminster, 164-1.

And Silden is a Galliard by himself.

And wel might be ; there's more divines in him,

Than in all this their Jewish Sanhedrim.

Skelton, in his railing poem ag,

falls into the Anrtan, below Moffat. Wamphray-gate was in these days an ale-house. With these local explanations, it is hoped the following ballad will be easily understood. From a pedigree in the appeal case of Sir James John- stone of Westeraw, claiming the honours and titles of

Annandale, it appears that the Johnstones of Waniphray were descended from James, sixth son of the sixth baron of Johnstone. The male line became extinct in 1657. : ;

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 317

THE LADS OF WAMPHRAY.

'TwixT Girth-head and the Langwood end, Lived the Galliard, and the GalUard's men But and the lads of Leverhay, That drove the Crichton's gear away.

It is the lads of Lethenha',

The greatest rogues amang them a' But and the lads of Stefenbiggin, They broke the house in at the rigging.

The lads of Fingland, and Helbeck-hill,

They were never for good, but aye for ill 'Twixt the Stay wood-bush and Langside-hill,

They steal'd the broked cow and the branded bul 318 MINSTRELSY OF

It is the lads of the Girth-head,

deil's in The them for pride and greed ; For the Galhard, and the gay Galhard's men.

They ne'er saw a horse but they made it their ain.

The Galliard to Nithsdale is gane,

To steal Sim Crichton's winsome dun ; The Galliard is unto the stable gane, But instead of the dun, the blind he has taVn.

" Now Simmy, Simmy of the Side,

" Come out and see a Johnstone ride !

" Here's the bonniest horse in a' Nithside,

" And a gentle Johnstone aboon his hide.""

Simmy Crichton's mounted then,

And Crichtons has raised mony a ane ; The Galliard trow'd his horse had been wight,

But the Crichtons beat him out o' sight.

As soon as the Galliard the Crichton saw, the Behind saugh-bush he did draw ;

And there the Crichtons the Galliard hae ta'en, And nane wi' him but Willie alane. ;

THE SCOTTISH BOKUER, 319

' O Simmy, Simmy, now let me gang, " And I'll nevci- mair do a Crieliton wrang !

" O Simmy, Simmy, now let me be, " And a peck'o'' gowd I'll give to thee !

" O Simmy, Simmy, now let me gang,

" And my wife shall heap it with her hand/'

But the Crichtons wad na let the Galliard be,

But they hang\l him hie upon a tree.

O think then Willie he was right wae. When he saw his uncle guided sae

" But if ever I live Wamphray to see, " My uncle's death avenged shall be !''

Back to Wamphray he is gane.

And riders has raised mony a ane ;

Saying—" My lads, if ye'll be true,

" Ye shall a' be clad in the noble blue.

Back to Nithsdale they have gane.

And awa' the Crichtons' nowt hac ta'en ; But when they cam to the Wellpath-head,

The Crichtons bade them 'liffht and lead. 320 MINSTRELSY OF

And when they cam to the Biddcs burn,

The Crichtons bade them stand and turn ; And when they cam to the Biddes strand, The Crichtons they were hard at hand.

But when they cam to the Biddes law. The Johnstones bade them stand and draw

" WeVe done nae ill, we'll thole nae wrang. " But back to Wamphray we will gang."

And out spoke Willy of the Kirkhill,

" Of fighting, lads, ye'se hae your fill." And from his horse AVillie he lap, And a burnished brand in his liand he gat.

Out through the Crichtons Willie he ran.

And dang them down baith horse and man ; O but the Johnstones were wondrous rude, When the Biddes burn ran three days blood

" Now, sirs, we have done a noble deed ; " We have revenged the Galliard"'s bleid : " For every finger of the Galliard's hand,

" I vow this day I've killVl a man." THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 321

As they cam in at Evan-head,

At Ricklaw-holm they spread abread ; " Drive on, my lads ! it will be late ; " We'll hae a pint at Wamphray gate.

" For where'er I gang, or e'er I ride,

" The lads of Wamphray are on my side ;

" And of a' the lads that I do ken, " A Wamphray lad's the king of men."

THE END OF THE FIRST VOLUME.

Edinburgh : Printed by James Ballantyue & Co. ^/